5. Rodan

5

Rodan

T here had been a moment, more than three months ago, when Rodan had sensed Maeve. For the barest breath of an instance, the bond had opened up.

It was then he began formulating his escape plan. Prior to then he had, much to his shame, believed his father's words about Maeve's demise. About her being far beyond his reach, now and always.

There had been no mistaking it when the bond opened. The air smelled of honeysuckle for minutes afterward, and the reverberation of that moment of her mental touch?—

Fear. He had sensed that from her. Which meant she needed him.

In some ways, all the rest of it had been simple.

The hardest had been binding Icarus, chaining him to the bowels of the planet he called home, so there was no way he could be parted from it. He had screamed and swore, damning Rodan and casting a final curse his way he had not been quick enough to avoid.

Thankfully, Rodan woke with several magical practitioners from his own world exorcising that curse from his system, sending it straight into the fire.

And now, breathing deep of the magic of the Realms for the first time in years, Rodan wanted nothing more than to rush toward Attica, the shadow continent. To find Maeve, and bring her back.

He had to bring her back.

Clawing for the bond even now, knowing it was useless, Rodan tried to find a way beyond whatever block had been placed on them. It should have been impossible. The bond was sacred among the Fae, something no exterior force could or should be able to touch.

But Rodan had seen magic worked at his father's hands which had bent the very nature of reality. There were few limitations to one such as him. High Fae, and bound in service to a god, with all the abilities afforded one such as that.

Icarus had been setting Rodan down the same path, but then Maeve had flickered through, and everything had changed.

There had been nothing, until that moment, to indicate her status as alive. He had begun to long for death, so they could at least be reunited in the halls of her father, but then the bond had been there, and so had she. Vibrant but afraid, with her heart still beating.

"Earth to Rodan. Come in. Can you hear me?"

It took a moment for the words to penetrate, but then he was blinking, turning to find Jen staring up at him with a frown, a crease between her brows, her pale blue eyes concerned.

He was so very glad to see her.

"I was saying," she said, the words slow, "Troy thinks the roads are going to be impassable within the hour. It looks like the castle is getting snowed in."

"Edurne," Rodan said, the elemental's name coming to mind as he looked to the window, and the frosted panes of glass showing a swirling gray sky. "This is only the first day. She has seven more."

"I don't know if the city is going to survive another week of this," she said, shivering, her hands out toward the small fire. "And supplies in the castle are low. We've got over three hundred people now, between the guard and the followers who Bethany talked into being part of the household."

Rodan pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as he spoke. "Something else to attend to before we depart."

"How long will we be gone, do you think?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Could be hours, or days," Rodan said. "There is no way to tell until we find her." He opened his eyes and glanced around, then back at the petite human. "I intend to leave within an hour, no more."

"You're sure?" Her frown was back. "No offense, but you look like hell."

He nodded, "And there is much to do. I will rest when Maeve is safe."

Jen flashed a savage smile. "That's what I want to hear. You said we go within an hour?"

"We?" he asked, stepping away from her. If he was to leave when he wished, there was no time to waste. "Jen, you cannot come with us."

"Excuse me?" She had to near-run to keep up with him, but he did not shorten his stride. "That's my best friend! She's like—well, she may as well be my sister."

Rodan stopped with his hand on the door to the outer halls. He took the moment to shift his garments and rid himself of the dust and debris of long travel. It took half an instant, and was effortless, especially here. The Realms were the seat of his power. He knew that now. When he looked back to Jen, he was wearing a long winter coat over his usual garb, the high collar making his face all the more severe. "Be that as it may, you are the weakest of our group, and the one who means the most to Maeve. How do you think she would feel, if I were to bring you and you were to die?"

The human's cheeks were flaming red. Troy moved into view, drawn no doubt by the high emotions of their lover. Rodan's gaze flicked between the two of them. He wondered how much Jen knew about how an elf selected a mate, and what it meant to them. There were ties of magic already, he could see, weaving between them. Gossamer thin, like spider's silk.

His gaze caught on Troy. "You agree?"

"With you?" The elf grinned. "Not on this."

"She's the only family I have left," Jen said, drawing his attention back. "I won't let you leave without me."

There was little she could do if he truly wanted to keep her away, and they both knew that. But he wanted to waste no more time. "Fine, but remain here for now. I'll be back soon." He opened the door to the halls, Victor coming to attention as he did. The man had not slept in some time, either, by the looks of things. Rodan gave him a glance of disapproval. "Get some rest."

The captain stood even straighter, if that were possible. "Sire. I should?—"

"Sleep," Rodan commanded, with a minor push of power. The man would be no use to him dead on his feet. Victor sagged and rubbed his eyes, then turned and stumbled off in the direction of the captains quarters, no doubt. "Nath, with me."

The younger guardsman snapped-to and followed Rodan as he strode out into the halls and toward one of the central towers.

They were most of the way to the tower when they came upon Pike, stepping out of an alcove and wiping his face. There was the scent of smoke about him, and when he saw Rodan coming he at first smiled in greeting, then frowned. "How is your hair nearly a foot longer?" he demanded.

"Always observant," Rodan said, coming to a halt. "If you want your answers, you'll walk with me. There is little time, and Maeve needs us."

Pike's wary suspicion turned to sharp fear. "What's wrong?"

Motioning the way forward, Rodan arched an eyebrow. "Let's go."

He spoke quietly as they walked, filling Pike in on the basics of what had gone on in the last few years. In fact, he glossed over his time on that hell planet with a simple, "My father abducted me the same night, and held me in his world for over two years."

Pike swore under his breath. "Years? It was only a night."

"Barely part of one," Rodan agreed, and then continued in the story, mounting the wide spiral stairs up to the tower rooftop as he finished. "It was a handful of hours." Pike and Nath trailed him, and they ran into no one. As they ascended, the sound of the howling wind grew louder, and the golden-yellow stone trembled with the force of it.

Pike asked several more questions, and between himself and Nath, they were answered. At another turn in the staircase, Rodan glanced down at the scrapper and asked, "Where were you that you smell of smoke?"

The man looked away for a moment, lips trembling. "I was tending to Bethany."

Rodan stopped for a moment and clapped Pike on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, my friend."

When they reached the door that led to the exterior, Rodan turned to address the two of them. Nath's brown eyes were soft and curious, but Pike's suspiciousness was back in full force. He glared at Rodan, and Rodan gave a soft laugh. He was too tired for this, but… "I'm going to summon the elemental Edurne, the one responsible for this storm. Pike, you remember?"

"Yes," he growled. "And what will you do?"

"Bargain."

"I thought you'd done that already," he grumbled.

"You two can bear witness," Rodan went on. "But do not interfere. It is too strong for you."

"It'll throw you off the tower," Pike declared. "This is madness. It was madness to have dealt with it in the first place."

Rodan smiled. "Not now."

Much had changed, after all. He was changed, fundamentally. His father had done much and more to assure that.

It would have taken the strength of several humans to push open the barred ironwood door to the outside against the furious gale, but Rodan managed to make it look easy. He held it for Pike and Nath, both of whom huddled against the whipping winds with hunched shoulders and trembling jowls.

Rodan cast a making, a small fire hovering before each of his followers, warming them immediately. Nath sighed and, satisfied, the Fae strode to the center of the wide tower. The weather should have had his hair streaming around him, but he appeared untouched. A minor magic.

Legs braced, he looked to the sky and shouted, "Edurne! Rodan of the High Fae calls for you."

The screaming wind stopped in the next breath, and the elemental stood before him, draped in mist. It smiled a languid smile when it saw him. "No circle of protection? How bold."

Rodan could sense the beating hearts of those behind him. An elemental was a grave danger, and he prayed they did nothing to draw its attention before he could act. "I would make treatise with you, Edurne. Much has changed."

"I already have everything I could want," it said, spinning in a slow circle to encompass the snow-draped landscape. "The Realms are mine, for seven more days." It smiled again, exposing sharp teeth. "You should have bargained better in the first place, if you cannot withstand me."

Rodan rolled his hand over, making from the very snow chains of silver which bound the elemental wrist and ankle. Then, with another push of power, Rodan sent a binding toward it, severing its connection to nature.

It took less than a heartbeat for the elemental to realize what had happened. It shrieked, falling to its knees as it raked taloned nails along its arms. "What have you done?" it screamed, pale gray eyes wide, bloodshot, and shimmering with tears. "How?"

"I have bound you, Edurne," Rodan intoned, pacing toward it. The creature jerked at the silver chains, lashing for him, but the length drew tight, preventing it from reaching its mark. He smiled. "I can leave you here for seven days. You can do whatever you wish during that time, and the terms of the contract will have been fulfilled."

It howled. "That's cheating!"

"Or you can bargain with me again."

"In what faith, when you have broken yours?"

"You originally treated with Maeve, did you not? This is a new bond, with me." He smiled. "Though, you will release Maeve from the original terms. That is my first demand."

Edurne wept openly, keening and panting between its words. "And what are your other demands?"

"That you stay your hand. Twelve hours is all I will grant you. Once per year, for fourteen years." He stepped closer, just to the edge of its reach. "Is that not generous?"

It hissed, but did not try to jerk toward him again. "You think yourself generous? Do you know how this feels, Fae? You have gutted me."

"Then die here. Or accept my terms, and be on your way. I will release the making and unbind you." He glanced toward the sky, which was showing through thinning clouds. The suns were shining bright. "Your time grows short. Decide."

"I accept," the elemental snapped. It stood, trembling, and still it cried and made high noises of distress. "Release me."

Rodan snapped his fingers, and the making dissolved, as did the binding. The elemental did not wait. It took a single, gasping breath, and then shot skyward, becoming a disappearing speck on the horizon.

"My gods," Pike said from behind him. "How did you do that?"

Rodan turned, waving a hand to extinguish the flames still hovering before them, for it was no longer needed. The suns were already beginning to warm his back. The snow would soon melt, at least in part. Winter was only just upon them.

"I am of the High Fae," he said, revealing himself at last. "I am more now than ever before." It was the simplest way he knew to put it.

Nath ran a hand through his short blonde hair. "What does that mean?"

Rodan smiled. "It means I can take on a horde."