The Fae Book 3: Butcher and Raine

Chapter 15 (Raine): Remembered With Honor

***TW for deaths***

As quickly as the red-winged fairies revealed their presence in my apartment to me, Burr's word's flashed into my mind.

The fae have unimaginable power, Raine. Beyond comprehension.

They're getting bold because they know that their time above ground is coming to an end.

They want to cause maximum pain before we drive them underground.

I had no clue how to fight them or stop them. None. As a human without powers trying to stand against countless magical beings, I wasn't even at a disadvantage. I'd already lost. When Burr had asked the fairies surrounding him to show themselves to me, I'd felt only goodness and love emanating from them. 

But the moon fae were about as far from goodness and love as you could get. They were menace and chaos and evil. They meant harm. To me. Which meant harm to my baby. Alexandre.

You have a baby to protect, Raine. You are not going down without a fight.

I remembered Burr telling me that as the Sceptre's Orb, I could call Butcher back.

Call him back.

Could I call him back to me for help? Would he even help me if he could hear me?

The red-winged fae were moving closer to me, pressing in on all sides.

Butcher! Help me! my mind was screaming. Butcher! Come back! Come back to me!

Just as my mind reached out to Butcher, my fae guard materialized in front of me. The relief I felt was incredibly short lived as I realized my guard numbered in the hundreds, while the moon fae in my apartment numbered in the thousands. Tens of thousands.

My guard wasted no time and immediately began throwing tiny bolts of lightning at the moon fae, who returned fire. In no time, thousands of little bolts of pure energy were being traded between the two sides. Yellow from the sun fae and white from the moon fae -- and there was more white than yellow. So much more white.

The sun fae, brave as they were, were being beaten back, overwhelmed by the sheer number of moon fae fighting against them. Then, horribly, sickeningly, as if an unseen hand had given a signal, the moon fae pounced, hundreds of them surrounding each one of the sun fae.

It reminded me of piranhas converging on an injured fish and just destroying the helpless creature until there was nothing left. The sun fae had no chance against that many of the moon fae. 

"Garda le do shaol," Burr had commanded the fae right before his battle with Butcher.

Guard with your lives.

Was the command still in effect? Was that why they weren't trying to escape? Were they going to sacrifice their lives for me?

"No!" I screamed to my fae. I was waving my arms wildly, trying to hit the moon fae away from them, fighting the only way I could. "No! Don't do this! Go! Get away! Go! Leave them alone, you fucking bastards!"

It was no use, and there were tiny flashes of bright yellow light, something I realized signaled a sun fae's life being extinguished, and still my brave guard wouldn't back down. I was sobbing, crying, continuing to try beating the moon fae back, but it was no use. It was no fucking use, and I screamed with every flash of light.

I couldn't fight them all, and I was nearly hysterical in my grief and helplessness. I had no power against the evil creatures.

But the man who burst into the room did, and he came wielding that power like a master, throwing bolts of lightning without pause and with a ferocity that was terrifying. As he worked his way over to me, the tiny flashes of yellow light I'd been seeing turned white.