Chapter Seven: Nathan

A part of him wondered if he'd made a mistake, giving into his lustful emotions too soon. He wanted to take things slowly, to actually give whatever was happening between them a fair chance. And yet… it had felt right to do so. It already took all his willpower to keep things chaste on their picnic date. He'd proudly wrestled with his near-teenage horniness when getting lost in her kiss in such a romantic setting.

This time, however, he'd fully given into the drama without so much as a blink of an eye. He'd arranged for that date after being sent on mission after mission, and then… it all developed from there. The sight of her in his bed, lying on his arm, as it erupted into pins and needles without any desire to move, except maybe in like ten minutes, once it became too painful.

I guess the difference here is that she hasn't rushed out the door, and neither have I.

More than a few times, he'd ended up sneaking away to avoid making morning conversation with strangers.

Eventually, his arm became painful. He nudged Eva until her eyes fluttered open. They were glazed as if she'd been interrupted from a dream.

"Wha?"

"Good morning, lovely one. Uh… may I have my arm back? It's dying."

She blinked a few times before finally registering her location and what he was saying. "Ah." She lifted her head and allowed him to escape at last. "Sorry."

"Don't be," he murmured, stroking her cheek gently before rolling out of bed and, shaking the numbness out of his arm and stretching. "This feeling is the worst." After one trip to the bathroom trip and tidying up a bit, he'd prepped two cups of coffee and brought one to the bedside for her to sip.

"Ah, thanks," she said, placing it on the side. "I prefer to eat something first before coffee. Otherwise, it kinda hits me too hard…"

So, he ended up making peanut butter toast for her and spent the morning in a more or less companionable quiet, interspaced with little bursts of conversation. He liked that. He didn't want to talk endlessly, especially in contrast to his jobs, where he was required to charm the socks off the Unseelie, although the last one had been rather close to disemboweling him at one point because it wanted to see if he looked more human or fae on the inside. Thankfully, it didn't come to that point, but it still left him a little nervous about encountering the next one. It was as if Morgryn was sending Nathan to the fae from easiest to hardest.

It made sense. He wanted to get the easy ones out of the way first. They required less effort than the ones that might stab someone for looking at them the wrong way.

"Do you have any missions today?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Yes, I have one. But it's a revisit, so it shouldn't be too difficult. At least, I can be reasonably sure they're not going to do something conspicuous or try to harm me, so that's a plus."

"I wonder how much busier they'll keep us," she said, her lip pouting slightly, which he found adorable. She really did look cute, and he really liked the color of her hair and how it brightened her features as well. And her eyes. Damn. Their yellow-orange sheen made them mesmerizing to look into, to say the least, as well as the rest of her. Hopefully, if the missions turned out not to be too challenging, they might be able to solve the issue of the Unseelie Court.

They chatted, and it was only when he approached the front door of the dorm that he sensed something was off. A wave of nausea hit him, and he caught the scent of fae magic, but only in the doorway, which struck him as odd and highly unusual. He was more sensitive to fae activity than the average person, but he asked if Eva detected it, too, when she approached the doorway.

"No, what exactly are you sensing?"

"It's energy as if we're in the fae realm, but only in this spot." He scowled. "I have a horrible feeling that there's a trap waiting for us outside. We can't go out there without triggering it."

"Then we should call a professor," Eva said, going to her phone. She winced. "No signal. Nothing. It's dead in the water…" She tried to call anyway and send a message before glancing at him. "What should we do?"

Nathan inhaled the strong fae scent for a moment, pondering. "Let's prepare as best as we can. It could be nothing, but the lack of signal and the strength of the fae magic that's wafting through right now, it's foolish not to prepare."

With that, he dressed for hiking, and Eva, lacking the clothes except the ones she'd come here with, borrowed one of his boxers and got dressed. He noted how the belt Morgryn had given her seemed to disappear when she put it on. When it was not attached to a person, it was visible.

He fished out snacks and two backpacks and stuffed blankets and spare socks, just in case. He added a few bottles of water.

"Jeez, it's like we're going on an adventure," Eva said.

"If the fae realm awaits, we better make sure we expect it," he said. "If we're lucky, it might just be an effect of the abuse of magic and deals from the Unseelie in our patch of the world. If we're unlucky… then at least we haven't been stupid about it."

Eva sighed, fishing out an almost empty vial. "I almost wanted to use this last night to heighten the whole experience," she admitted with an embarrassed laugh. "But now, it might be better to use it. There's just enough for two."

She drank half of it and gave the rest to him. He downed it, feeling the potion work in about twenty seconds. Instantly, everything became more surreal and yet clearer. Scent, sight, hearing, touch, even taste. Everything had an extra edge, and as the stink of fae magic pounded his skull, all the prep felt justified. Eva had one of his old backpacks, which still came in handy in case something happened to his current one.

"Ready?" he asked quietly.

She nodded, clearly scared but knowing they didn't have a choice. He took a few deep breaths, counting the seconds, before reaching for the handle and opening the door to the corridor, except there was no corridor. All he saw was green and blue. The door opened onto what looked like a clear blue fae glen, with scraggly trees and a river flowing over stones.

"Well, I don't see any other way out," he said, remembering how Morgryn claimed to have "stapled" a part of his realm to theirs. Nathan still felt it was a foolish thing to do precisely because he believed it risked something like this happening.

He stepped through the door, the powerful magic all around, and yet also oddly somber. Eva followed, seeming a little skittish; her eyes darted everywhere, which was understandable since this was her first time being fully in a fae realm.

"Keep alert and try not to talk loud or too much." He led the way, allowing his senses to pick out dangerous spots in the realm. With the enhanced prowess of the Animal Sense potion, he found it easier to detect and avoid the danger spots, like a man-eating flower, a deceptive stable ground that masked tiny death slugs that would cause a slow, agonizing end for anyone who ended up with their slime on their bare skin.

They paused when a hollow, moaning noise drifted through the air, and the shadows of what looked like dark, glowing spirits shambled through the leaves.

"They're the disturbed dead," Eva said grimly as they watched. "This is what Z'Hana warned us about."

They walked a little faster when one of the spirits paused, acting as if it had heard them. The landscape gradually shifted, becoming darker, more barren, more diseased, like that patch they'd seen when they drove to the picnic spot. Petrified trees and shriveled black leaves were scattered over the ground, along with more than a few desiccated insect corpses.

It all reeked of ruin.

"How sad," Eva whispered. "If this is the effect of the deals being made, why do they keep doing it? Surely, they should know when to stop."

"Don't underestimate greed and selfishness," Nathan said grimly. "The deals bring them wealth and status, things to boast about. Some prefer to live only to indulge their whims and live the best lives they can, leaving the mess to others. Some probably think it isn't that bad. Others may realize and just not care."

Either way, Morgryn couldn't work fast enough to get the situation under control. Nathan wondered if his method might be too little, too late.

The barren landscape continued, desolate and unwelcoming, but when they had the ocean on one side, they did finally spot something smudgy rising out of a distant patch of green – a part of the woodlands that hadn't yet been poisoned and made lifeless.

"Was it like this for you when you went into the fae realms?" Eva asked, leaning close to him, her tone and expression somber. "Was it this bad before?"

"No," he said. "The areas I was sent to – all of them seemed intact and untainted. None of them was suffering. Perhaps that is why gathering allies has been so tough. If they can't see it, why should they believe it?"

Their boots crunched as they crushed shells, leaves, and the ashen bark of trees underfoot. The magic was lacking here – there was nothing vibrant like in the fae realm, just this odd black hole in the middle of what should be a realm brimming with magic. But the magic was gone. Nathan always assumed the poisoning was more likely to happen in the human world rather than the fae world, and perhaps that's why the fae didn't react with as much alarm as they should have. But no. It happened here, too. Perhaps the parts that leaked into their world were at the cost of this one.

They made it to the next section of woodland at last, and it greeted them with the waft of fae magic. The looming thing in the distance looked more and more like some gigantic castle, although it didn't appear to be made out of stone or traditional masonry. Instead, as they waded through the woodland and the trees thinned, they saw a vast, viny, interlocking mass of structure. He paused, a sinking suspicion dwelling within.

"I think… this is the Unseelie Court building," he said. "It's where they meet. It's too vast for one or even a few people, so it must be here to accommodate large gatherings."

"Gatherings…" Eva's eyes went wide, and she clung to Nathan, taking solace in his presence. "Should we go in another direction? Or… is it worth even us going there?"

"Well," Nathan said. "The fact that the corrupted patch is nearby should be advantageous for them. We don't know how heavily guarded it is, but it might be worth trying to approach." He winced. "More for me than for you, however. I smell like fae, so it will cause some hesitation and questions. But for you – they're not going to get that same sense from you, so you'll be in danger."

As they talked, his senses pinged urgently, and he stopped in mid-discussion. "I think we should fall back. Something doesn't feel right about –"

A horn blared, loud and mournful and disconcerting. They heard the faint sound of thunder. They looked at each other in a panic.

"The hunt," he said. "Oh, I've been foolish." They made a run for it, tearing through the trees with the thunder intensifying. Something howled, and a huge, enormous, furry something blocked their path.

With a screaming growl, Nathan surged forward, letting his bear take over. Gray fur exploded all over his body, and he transformed, shifting into a four-limbed creature that charged at the furry thing with sharp teeth and huge glowing yellow eyes in their path. With a bellowing roar, he slammed into the creature, which seemed vastly unprepared for a gigantic mass of bear to hit it, and it went sprawling, legs upended, smacking into a tree.

Another one of the creatures lunged from undercover at him, and he swiped, rearing up to add more power to the swing, sending it flying like a sack of laundry. Too late, though. More of them swarmed. Where was Eva? His eyes settled on her, backing away from another one of the furred, wolf-beaver-like creatures. With a desperate groan, he hurtled toward the animal, which turned to face him, eyes even wider in shock, before turning tail and darting off – except it was hard to outrun a charging bear with momentum on the attack. The Animal Sense potion had an odd effect on his bear form – it felt stronger, somehow, more powerful than what he was used to.

The creature yelped as he swiped at its hind legs, tumbled awkwardly, and skidded along. He reared up, ready to finish it off, but the movement distracted his focus.

"Do not attack," came a low, unimpressed voice. A fae being stepped out of the woods, a bow and arrow trained on Nathan. Others emerged, some on horses, others on foot, and almost all of them pointed weapons at him. More of the creatures flanked the horses but were restrained in their growls. "We sense you are fae. Shift back so we see who we're arresting."

With that many weapons pointed in his direction, there was nothing else to do than transform back. He couldn't hear or see Eva, and he made no move to look for her, as it might reveal to the fae more information than he was willing to give.

The apparent leader of the hunt raised both white eyebrows upon seeing Nathan in his hulking human form. "Part fae, I see. Strong magic. My, my, wouldn't it be interesting to find out whose spawn you are? Why are you here, in our woods, so close to the court?"

Truth would help, Nathan hoped. "Not by intention. I woke up in the human world in my bedroom. I stepped through the front door – and a fae realm awaited. Not exactly a great start to the morning."

"You seem well prepared for a surprise," the fae observed, his narrow face wrinkling. He indicated Nathan's backpack.

"Well, I'd rather be prepared and feel foolish for overpreparing than to underdo it and feel foolish that I didn't take my time," he countered.

"I see." Then, someone stepped up to him to whisper in his ear. That thin mouth of his curled upward. "Ah, it appears some of us know who you are. You've been scampering around the realm a bit, haven't you, currying some favor with Morgyn and his former supporters unless you'd like to blame some other half fae for doing this."

"Even if I were that person, it doesn't make what I said any less true. I would recommend some of you go and check beyond the wastes in that direction." Nathan pointed to where he'd come from.

The lead fae's expression darkened. "We won't be crossing that vile patch of evil."

"The leaders of your court created that vile patch of evil," Nathan said, and this caused a wave of murmurs to erupt from the other gathered fae.

"Yes, we're aware this is what you're telling those who used to be in with Morgryn. We've invited that sly old criminal to the court. It seems now you'll be joining us there, too."

The fae made no effort to give his name, and Nathan didn't know which side he was on other than having a sinking feeling that he didn't like Morgryn. But that didn't necessarily mean he, therefore, supported Aelund, who was the current leader.

"We'll take you while the others search for your companion. Their fate may be less welcoming. We don't take kindly to humans in these parts." He sneered while Nathan was frog-marched all the way to the imposing castle.

I'm sorry, Eva, he thought. I need to escape and find her ASAP. There's nothing I can do right now, though.

He'd never felt so useless. Hopefully, his mad attack had bought her enough time to run, to escape, even if that meant just returning to his dorm room, likely still attached to this twisted world.

Please be safe.

* * *

Inside, the main meeting room yawned impressively before them all, with all the branches neatly trimmed and arranged to create the space needed for the Unseelie Court. In the middle of the room, a vast pentacle patterned the floor, and some of the branches lifted to provide seating spaces, where some members of the court now sat and watched their arrival with murmured intrigue.

Nathan's eyes locked on Morgryn's, and the purple fae provided one raised eyebrow and a smirk. Morgryn had other fae huddled close to him and nearby – seemingly providing support by long distance. Nathan recognized faces in that crowd: the succubus, Greer; the seer, Elwon; and the others he'd collected on Morgryn's behalf.

Opposite Morgryn, some beautiful, youthful-looking fae clustered around a blonde-haired, golden-skinned fae who wore red robes and fury on their features.

That must be Aelund, Nathan thought, hating the sight of him.

The leader of the hunt and two guards shimmied Nathan into the middle of the court. "We found this one lurking outside the castle. He appears to be Morgryn's. He claims to have crossed the blighted area after waking up and finding the fae realm outside his door. Obviously, we have doubts about his story."

"Trying to interrupt the court session and sway people to this traitor and his sycophants?" Aelund snarled. He had the kind of petulant voice that made Nathan wonder why anyone would want to follow him. A silvery, thorn-laced crown rested on his head.

"We were foolish to vote on the imprisonment of the traitor. This time, I believe we should execute him directly." Aelund glanced at his followers; some bobbed their heads in agreement.

"From our perspective," Greer said wryly, "you are the usurper, the traitor in all this. Morgryn was ready to serve his full term when you removed him."

"We removed him because he betrayed everything that we, the Unseelie, stand for!" Aelund barked. "Signing that treaty is what got us into this, limiting us, the Unseelie, from our rights, the rights that you elders enjoyed and pissed away, expecting us to spend centuries unable to fulfill our basic tenets. We are the Unseelie! We are the court most feared, and you would hobble us like that other fae; you would deny us!"

Okay, perhaps he did sound convincing because a few murmurs of agreement scattered through the court, though mostly from Aelund's side. Still, a few on Morgryn's side stirred uneasily.

"Pup," Morgryn said, "we were not denying it out of spite to our kind. The very survival of our kind depended upon it. The blight that is beyond the castle – that is because of the direct actions of you and your followers. You are destroying the land and the magic. You are making us collide with the human world. There will soon be no Unseelie Court left if you continue, or magic in the human world."

"We are creating chaos in the human world, and that is our purpose," Aelund said. "Why should we care what happens to humans? They are toys for us, nothing more. They come to us with their greedy little deals of death and wealth and destruction, and they eagerly make the deals. The consequences are on them." He grinned, and a few of the fae grinned manically as well, displaying sharp, predatory teeth.

"Did you completely miss the point about our realm?" Morgryn asked. "I do not care for the humans, but it might be rather distressing if we were to kill off all the ‘toys' that you mention and ourselves in the process. Surely that might alarm his most esteemed majesty?"

Morgryn remained polite and calm, and his voice had a sonorous, confident quality to it. However, that confidence seemed to enrage Aelund, and Nathan thought with a pang of despair that this wasn't going to go Morgryn's way. The number of followers seemed roughly even, though perhaps a few extras were on Aelund's side. They needed to leech away those for anything to be done. But apparently, imploring the destruction of everything wasn't the approach. He was staying polite, at least, which served to his image. But Aelund could say anything, however scathing, without reproach.

"We've been doing this for the past decade, and it's all been fine, more than fine. We have wealth; we have fun. We're living exactly how we're meant to. Maybe some destruction is good for us all. Change is needed, and you would allow us to stagnate. You would lie to us about how dangerous it is because you did this for centuries, and we're still standing, aren't we? Besides, if the other courts are holding back, then our actions should only be a drop of water in the wide, wide universe." He grinned, and Nathan heard the murmurs increase. He closed his eyes.

He didn't see how they'd get out of this one. He didn't see how they could win. He only hoped that Eva had managed to make it as far away as possible. He hoped that she was safe.