"At least hear them out," Niana said, catching almost the entire room by surprise with her sudden outcry. "They may be lying, but who here is willing to refuse them entry and run the risk they're telling the truth?" The response was complete and utter silence. "I assume there's one of you who intends to speak for your group?" she asked.
"They call me Ereth'al," answered the Fenrir who'd spoken first, stepping forward as the others shrunk back slightly from the obvious hostility that still hung in the air. When Ereth'al reached the dais, he made his way to the remaining chair and sat down. A pair of gloved hands reached up and lowered the hood, revealing the same face we'd seen on other Fenrir, except this one was heavily scarred. "I am aware that my kind has done little to earn your trust, and that you are well within your rights to distrust every word I speak, but I promise you this: I wouldn't have come here if I believed there was any other choice."
"Get to the point," a fairy sitting near to the Sidhe Queen, dressed in robes that made him appear more ninja than fairy, spat out. "We don't have time to waste on worthless apologies."
"Do you have any concept of what Feth'rael's plans involve?" Ereth'al asked.
"We believe some kind of summoning spell," said the Sidhe Queen, "but we haven't the first idea how or where."
"You are both right and wrong," Ereth'al said with a sigh. "It is not so much a summoning spell he's attempting to enact, but the preparation of stripping away the last spells guarding the realm of the living from the hordes of the underworld. The weakening of the fairy races has left the barrier on the verge of collapse, hence how he can possess dead bodies and summon the Wraiths to his side."
"But how would he do that?" Nareena asked. "If it was as simple as a spell surely he would have done it already?"
"He intends to overwhelm the barrier," Ereth'al replied. "Now that he believes he has sufficient support this side of the barrier to protect him, he's going to summon the creatures from the underworld en masse. Against a full strength fairy species he would struggle, but we are a long way from being at full strength." He sighed, shaking his head.
"But people believe in you again," Crystal said. "If what you told us is true, surely that would boost your power enough to fight him?"
"You forget the downside to us getting stronger," Nara said, squeezing her hand tightly. "Whatever else he is, Feth'rael is still essentially a fairy – if we get stronger, so does he."
"So we can't fight him without the humans' help, but that helps him at the same time?" Firehawk asked. "Then what? How are we supposed to win?"
"In order to summon them he's using a network of objects," Ereth'al replied, "but I'm afraid we don't know what they are. My fellow defectors and I were maintained as guards for one of his hidden enclaves but his inner circle told us that if we dared look inside, our lives would be forfeit. The only hint we ever had was a brief glimpse of a group of objects that didn't make any sense... at least in the context, anyway," he added.
"This is a bit of a long shot," I said, scratching my chin thoughtfully, "but by any chance did these objects look like large eggs?"
"Yes," replied one of the other Fenrir, his eyes wide, "but how could you possibly know that?"
"Because I suspect I saw – and indeed played a part in foiling – one of his attempts to perform a summoning spell," I replied. "He held my mother prisoner and..." I paused, grateful for Niana putting her hand over mine, offering me support. "She claimed they'd impregnated her, that Feth'rael was going to use the child to bring something into this world."
"So if we just locate any women who've suddenly had unexpected pregnancies we can find where the other eggs are hidden," Mickey blurted out, instantly falling quiet when he realised almost everyone in the room had turned their attention to him. "It's just a thought," he mumbled.
"That would be good if it was true," Ereth'al said, "but if what you've told us is true, it's unlikely their friends or family will be aware of what's happened. Feth'rael is far too smart to have made his victims easy for anyone to locate if they realise what's really happening."
"Then we have a problem," Ressik said from his place behind his Great Chief. "We don't even have the first idea where to start looking, and no idea whatsoever of how long we have before this great spell is enacted."
"I might know a way," Selina said, standing up suddenly. "I mean... it's another long shot, and I read it in a book so old there's every chance it may no longer be accurate... but..."
"A long shot is better than any other option we have right now," Niana said, trying to give her a reassuring smile. "What do you know?"
"There was a book I used to read whenever I needed to escape the nightmares of the real world," Selina replied. "I don't know why – it wasn't exactly what you'd call light reading – but it included a chapter about some of the monuments of the ancient fairy races, one of which I memorised, thinking it may come in useful one day. It was called the Star Meadow, and while the book claimed it was where all fairies drew their magic from, I assumed it must be a myth because I couldn't find any reference to it outside of that one book." She shrugged.
"I think I know where that is," Terry said loudly enough that even his daughter jumped in surprise. "I heard Feth'rael mention a place called the Field of Stars, though he didn't know where it was, and... well, something told me I was best off not telling him. Apparently, at least part of me was always aware I was being lied to. Anyway, I'd looked it up for myself, but..." He sighed as he passed the tablet computer to Kizzy. "Getting to it isn't going to be easy."
"Oh geez," she said as she studied the image on the screen. She looked up at the rest of the table. "You weren't kidding. Do you guys want the bad news or the really bad news?"
"What are you... talking..." I started saying, before trailing off when I saw an image of Fort Knox, surrounded by troops. I almost laughed. "Brilliant. So we just have to break into one of the most heavily defended places in America – unnoticed – and survive long enough to cast a spell that will probably instantly draw our enemies' attention. Tell me there's a silver lining of some description to this huge, grey cloud?" I asked desperately.
"We can get you into there," the Sidhe Queen replied. "My kin have spent more time getting past humans undetected than any of the rest of you have, plus we have... ways... of distracting those guards. Just tell me when you're ready to leave."
"We'd better leave as soon as possible," Terry replied. "I can guide you through Fort Knox better than anyone else in this room."
"So be it," the Great Leader said, standing up. "We will assemble a team and head out within the hour. Everyone else, it's time we began the fight back in any way we can." He scanned the table, looking at every individual in turn. "Gather your armies; I suspect before this war is over we'll have to meet our enemy in one great battle."
"I don't see why you think this is worth wasting my time for," the fallen fairy captain said as his junior led him through the tunnels under Fort Knox to one of the vaults. "The master probably came to get something to... 'persuade'... our human allies. You should be thankful you didn't try and interrupt him with this non-" He stopped suddenly when they rounded the corner to find a strange blue light emanating from one of the vaults, causing him to draw his sword. "Get the Wraiths; we appear to have company."
He turned to tell his companion to hurry, only to discover that the fairy was slowly sinking to the floor, a javelin having been thrown through his body. The captain turned to run, but as he tried to shout he found he was unable to make a sound. Before he even knew what was happening, he was thrown up against the wall by a shadowed creature at least a foot taller than him, who then proceeded to place a knife just inches from his throat.
"Not yet, Keliaz," came a voice from the vault as a fairy stepped out into the corridor. Unlike his companion he was short, dressed in long, white robes, and had hair the same intense blue as the light emerging from the vault, though his eyes were completely black. "I have some questions for him." He walked up until he was level with the captain. "Tell me, are those eggs back there what I believe them to be?"
"I don't know what-" the fairy started saying, before extra pressure was applied to his throat. "It doesn't matter what I tell you. The ritual has already begun; this world will be purged of the forces of light, and the eternal night will fall. What could a meek little child like you do to-" His words were cut short then, the larger creature cutting his throat in one sudden motion and causing his body to drop to the floor.
"It's further along than we feared," the fairy said quietly. "Keliaz, return through the portal and tell our friends we need every soul we can spare. I must work quickly; it won't take our enemy long to sense me, and when he does this place will be crawling with his minions."