Aurora and Queen Mab had sealed the breaches before too much could be sucked out into space and too much damage could be done to the idyllic forests and rivers of the A-Ring. They expended more and more magic as Titania teleported them from breach to breach in all the Stacks. And even exhausted, my girl had spent the night healing me. And telling me over and over, “How extraordinarily foolish and reckless you are, Knith. Why must you charge into danger before you have backup?”
I had countered, “But I did have backup, Graz was there and you aren't chastising her.”
“I'm not sleeping with her, and I assure you, I can hear her spouses chastising her as well.”
Then she had huffed and said, “I love that you fight when others run and that you have the courage that sometimes overshadows your sense. But I've grown quite fond of you in my life and would be most cross if you were taken from me because you still choose to tilt at windmills.”
Ah-ha! I knew that one now. She always accused me of that, so I had to find out the reference. I smirked. “Don Quixote.”
She rolled her eyes. What? I thought I was clever finding a reference that was hundreds of thousands of years old. Ok, maybe I asked Mac and he happened to have an actual paper book about Don Quixote.
That thought of Mac had me hesitate before I asked, “How are you doing after... you know... Mac?”
She closed her eyes, calming herself and saying in a measured tone which told me she wasn't as ok as she pretended when she said, “I'm fine. We always thought he was hiding out around the world somewhere. It had always been unlikely that a wily old Fae like him would suffer some sort of untimely end while riding with his Wild Hunt.”
I squinted an eye when she shoved more magic into my leg, a little roughly. “I'm sure... well I'm not sure he had a good reason, but I do know that he is a good man.”
That was all we said on the subject. Well mostly because all my injuries, then having my girl's magic slapping me around to heal me had exhausted me beyond belief and I had just closed my eyes for a moment and when I woke it was morning.
Then I had to suffer through first Mab then Titania kissing me to reinforce their marks and having my princess shooing them away from our bed and threatening them quite impressively if they ever invaded my or her bedchambers again.
The old man hasn't docked the Underhill yet, but he did accept a call from Rory and even Mab a couple days later. The Underhill was out there somewhere in formation. I think Mac has a personal score to settle with Captain Vandross, and we couldn't forbid him to interfere since again, he was a Remnant captain and not under the purview of the laws of the world. Though a Human captain, he was not. Now that he has revealed his true nature, there was no going back for him.
All the news waves have been broadcasting footage of him slinging magical lightning on the Skin for days. All the headlines reading things such as, “Oberon returns in the world's darkest hour,” and the like. News of his return overshadowed the news of the Outlier attack, especially in the Fae communities.
I cringed at the footage of the idiot in front of him, charging a group of armed Outliers and three mining ships. I'm starting to think there might be something wrong with me. Graz disagrees, she says I'm, “An adrenaline junkie with an overdeveloped sense of right, you dumb Big.”
As the cityships grew in the window, the commander of the fleet started squawking out demands for surrender. I looked to my shoulder where Graz sat in Mithreal armor and a Mithreal blade on her hip. I smirked at her. Mab had actually presented the armor to her for her acts of bravery in the battle and made her an honorary palace guard.
She started to ask, “So, palace guard. Can I get...”
“No. No, you can't have a miniature MMG made for you.”
“Mab's tit's, Knith. You're no fun.”
I told her as the Cityships now filled the windows as we started a precision roll to line up with an airlock as defiance crackled over the com channel, “Ok, now stay with me and follow the Commander's orders. Time to free these people.”
She nodded staunchly as the ship shook slightly and the sound of docking clamps latching on echoed through the crowded ship. She growled out as orders started sounding over the intercom, “Let's do this, Knith.”
Mother echoed the sentiment, determined anger in her tone, “I've got your back.”
Smiling as my visor snicked into place while I drew my twin MMGs, I whispered, “You always do.”
Then we headed out as I took a deep breath. After today, the world was never going to be the same.
The End
Novels by Erik Schubach
Books in the Worldship Files series...
Leviathan
Firewyrm
Cityships
Morrigan (2020)
Books in the Techromancy Scrolls series...
Adept
Soras
Masquerade
Westlands
Avalon
New Cali
Colossus (2020)
Books in the Urban Fairytales series...
Red Hood: The Hunt
Snow: The White Crow
Ella: Cinders and Ash
Rose: Briar's Thorn
Let Down Your Hair
Hair of Gold: Just Right
The Hood of Locksley
Beauty In the Beast
No Place Like Home
Shadow Of The Hook
Armageddon
Books in the New Sentinels series...
Djinn: Cursed
Raven Maid: Out of the Darkness
Fate: No Strings Attached
Open Seas: Just Add Water
Ghost-ish: Lazarus
Anubis: Death's Mistress
Sentinels: Reckoning (2020)
Books in the Drakon series...
Awakening
Dragonfall
Books in the Valkyrie Chronicles series...
Return of the Asgard
Bloodlines
Folkvangr
Seventy Two Hours
Titans
Books in the Tales From Olympus series...
Gods Reunited
Alfheim
Odyssey (2020)
Books in the Bridge series...
Trolls
Traitor
Unbroken
Krynn
Books in the Fracture series...
Divergence
Novellas by Erik Schubach
The Hollow
Novellas in the Paranormals series...
Fleas
This Sucks
Novellas in the Fixit Adventures...
Fixit
Glitch
Vashon
Descent
Sedition (2020)
Novellas in the Emily Monroe Is Not The Chosen One series...
Night Shift
Unchosen
Rechosen (2020)
Short Stories by Erik Schubach
(These short stories span many different genres)
A Little Favor
Lost in the Woods
MUB
Mirror Mirror On The Wall
Oops!
Rift Jumpers: Faster Than Light
Scythe
Snack Run
Something Pretty
Romance Novels by Erik Schubach
Books in the Music of the Soul universe...
(All books are standalone and can be read in any order)
Music of the Soul
A Deafening Whisper
Dating Game
Karaoke Queen
Silent Bob
Five Feet or Less
Broken Song
Syncopated Rhythm
Progeny
Girl Next Door
Lightning Strikes Twice
June
Dead Shot
Music of the Soul Shorts...
; (All short stories are standalone and can be read in any order)
Misadventures of Victoria Davenport: Operation Matchmaker
Accidental Date
Holiday Morsels
What Happened In Vegas?
Books in the London Harmony series...
(All books are standalone and can be read in any order)
Water Gypsy
Feel the Beat
Roctoberfest
Small Fry
Doghouse
Minuette
Squid Hugs
The Pike
Flotilla
Books in the Pike series...
(All books are standalone and can be read in any order)
Ships In The Night
Right To Remain Silent
Evermore
New Beginnings
Books in the Flotilla series...
(All books are standalone and can be read in any order)
Making Waves
Keeping Time
The Temp
Paying the Toll
Books in the Unleashed series...
Case of the Collie Flour
Case of the Hot Dog
Case of the Gold Retriever
Case of the Great Danish
Case of the Yorkshire Pudding
Case of the Poodle Doodle
Case of the Hound About Town
Case of the Shepherd's Pie
Case of the Bull Doggish