They heard the sound of glass bells tinkling then there was a brilliant silver and green flash before the vast chamber plunged into darkness as every energy field collapsed simultaneously.
Another bright flash exploded outwards in a wave from Baba, filling the Great Hall with its light before the room went dark once more.
“What was that?” Sigrid asked.
“Something to keep the Humans unconscious for a few hours. That should be enough time for you to find a way to deal with them,” Baba growled.
“Don’t you mean ‘for us to find a way’?” Sigrid asked from the darkness.
Then began the wailing of the newborn infants.
Sigrid called for her armor, and the white light painted the area around her. Baba was gone. Coyote, as well. “Shit!”
“The Ferals! She took them!” Camila gasped.
“She did warn us to leave them alone,” Roy muttered.
Mahati stepped forward, muttering under her breath, and began to touch the sofas as she walked by them. Her spell caused them to glow softly, illuminating their occupants and the space around them.
Roy and Sigrid spotted Lise-Anne walking towards them with a baby in her arms. Clive and Isaac followed. Behind them, an old black man and two women carried children in their arms.
“Yours?” Camila asked the Minister of Security carefully.
The Council member shook her head, still a little dazed by her experience. “How- how long were we in there?”
“No more than twenty minutes,” Roy replied. “How long did it feel like?”
Lise-Anne shuddered, and the baby fussed in her arms. “Months. A year? Maybe a little more.” She finally shrugged then focused on the child in her arms. “We have to get the children to a safe place.” She looked to the glowing sofas. “We have to-”
The big doors at the end of the room burst open, and dozens of agents from the Security ministry poured through. All dressed in matching black uniforms with visored helmets they moved amongst the sofas, each carrying a large duffle bag. Their team leader came to a stand before Lise-Anne.
“We received your message and prepared what you asked for.” He gestured to the unconscious people in the closest sofa. “These are the Humans we need to treat?” the agent asked.
“Treat?” she asked in confusion. The texts she’d prepared hadn’t explicitly outlined a plan as she hadn’t had time to create one before her phone was-
“Are you well, Minister?” the agent asked as he watched her.
She straightened her posture and shifted the baby to her other hip. “Apologies. I was caught in one of Queen Mab’s time compression traps. I’m having a little trouble recalling what I sent you.”
The agent’s eyes widened. He leaned in to bring her up to speed.
While the Council and its clean up team were preoccupied, Sigrid pulled her group to the side. Like Baba, she was also of the opinion that Mab might have meant for this to be a delaying tactic. When she saw she had their attention, most of them anyway as babies tended to be distracting, she addressed them.
“We need to go after Henry. Mab’s already broken her contract with him. She has him held captive,” she insisted.
Mahati was nodding. “I’m shocked that she managed to do it. The rationalizing required to allow her to break a contract in this way. Unheard of.”
“Which means Henry could be in significant danger,” Camila asserted. She looked to Dayshia. “You say she went up?”
“Yes, the whole platform, bed and all, just rose straight up and disappeared into the ceiling,” Dayshia said pointing to where it went.
“So we have to go up too,” Camila said.
Roy looked a little uncomfortable. “Didn’t the witch go up there?”
“You heard her; she’s not interested in Henry anymore. I don’t think she’s capable of loving anyone. She only wants the baby Mab is making and who knows for what! We have to go up to help Henry!” Sigrid argued. Roy looked her in the eye and nodded.
The group moved to the hallway outside the darkened chamber. There was no sign of the smart Ogre. The lighting was much better out here, and Roy did a quick headcount. Then he noticed Ikehorn was still with them. “No offense but we’re going upstairs to confront your Queen about how she abducted our friend. We’d all feel much more comfortable not having a Fae wielder at our backs as well.”
Ikehorn looked from face to face then nodded. “Apologies. I find myself at a loss for what I should do now.”
“Go home,” Sigrid suggested, and his face lit up for a second then the doubt came back.
“Whatever it is you decide to do, do it elsewhere,” Roy said sternly.
Ikehorn just nodded. “I will be in the garden outside.” He moved off in the opposite direction down the hallway. Sigrid wasted no further time and headed for the stairs up to the next level. As the group rounded the corner, they saw their way blocked by four of the large goons.
“I could probably incapacitate them with a spell-” Mahati suggested.
Camila shook her head. “It would be best to reserve your magic until we reach the floor upstairs. We may need all of your strength then.”
Roy grinned at Mary. “This seems like a job for us.”
Mary shared the grin and stepped forward next to Roy. She looked back. “Sandy, don’t let anyone get past you and Kesini.” The small blond smiled and nodded to her.
Roy looked at her curiously, but Mary just smirked. She liked having a secret of her own.
-=-
Henry witnessed the birth of his first child, while tied to the bedposts. It also happened incredibly fast. As the bed rose back up to the ceiling, Mab had been a blur as her violent motions indicated she was in intense pain or at least significant discomfort. Then it was over, and Mab had a beautiful girl in her arms. The newborn grew a few months older as they rose to the fifth floor, Henry’s chest felt like it might explode as she watched the angelic face as she slept.
The platform sealed itself back in Mab’s bedroom once more, and with that final tinkle of bells the spell was broken, and the energy field collapsed. The silver light was no longer being pulled from Henry’s horns, though the draining sensation continued subtly.
Mab took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “That was an unpleasant experience!” she sighed weakly. She gave him a feeble smile. “Almost there. Just one more spell.”
“What? What have you done?” Henry gasped as he tried his bindings.
“It’s what I’m about to do that should interest you more,” Mab said as she gently set the infant on the middle of the bed. Henry couldn’t take his eyes from her face. Her eyes began to open, and Henry saw they were the most incredible shade of blue.
He heard a creaking and looked up to see Mab binding herself to the top bedposts like he was. The hammock had given way to single vines growing from the posts.
Mab stared across at him, and her green eyes began to glow once more. Grinning maniacally, she opened her mouth. Henry screamed as the words she spoke stabbed at his eardrums and made his brain boil like angry bees trapped in his skull.
His horns once more poured out the silver threads, but these were reaching down to touch the baby. The light played over the tiny body… and she began to age. Slowly at first through the infant and toddler years, then faster to reach and pass through the teens, and back to a slower pace through the twenties to stop somewhere close to thirty. That was how she appeared to Henry’s horrified gaze at least.
The silver threads faded and Henry slumped against his bindings.
He heard a chuckling deep in a chest and forced his eyes open. The thirty-year-old woman stretching on the mattress was grinning widely and turned her eyes on Henry. Glowing, green eyes.
He immediately looked to the woman hanging in the bindings before him. Her glamor was gone, and her actual age was evident. He stared in shock at the ancient being before him who looked at him with innocent blue eyes.
“oh my god… what have you done?” Henry breathed in horror.
Mab sat up and grinned at him. “I gave myself a new start in a young body with your link to the realm of Wild Magic. It is very powerful. With my vast knowledge of spells and this powerful new magic source, I’ll be able to do… anything! The Fae will rise again to rule the world and put those pesky Humans in their place.” She pouted sweetly. “I had intended to begin my new era tonight by sending all those fools I gathered downstairs out into the world with proof of their insignificance. They were to be my heralds, announcing my return to power. Their children would be my foot soldiers. The Hidden Races Council would realize their time had passed.” Her expression soured. “Typical, Baba Yaga has arrived to interfere.”
“BUT WHAT ABOUT OUR CHILD?!?” Henry roared and pulled at his bindings.
The baby trapped in the crone’s body jolted in surprise and began to cry.
Mab made an expression of false sympathy for her old body and frowned at Henry. “Don’t worry, without magic to sustain her ancient body she won’t suffer for long. Only minutes, in truth.”
Henry stared at Mab in shock. She was a monster!
“You broke the deal.”
Mab looked at him sharply. “I did NO such thing!”
“You’re holding me captive!” he growled.
“Please, this is just a little bondage play. Human’s do it all the time, and it’s only momentary, not permanent,” she asserted dismissively with a grin.