Faerie Magic Read Free

she said. “Bring backup spells. This isn’t ideal, but I can’t think of anyone aside from the mages who’d help.”
    “The necromancers won’t want to know,” I said. “And throwing shifters into a riot is like throwing a dog into the middle of a street cat fight.”
    “Tell me about it,” said Isabel.
    Dammit. This might have started with a murder, but more half-faeries would doubtlessly be killed in the fighting. The blood alone would attract every dark denizen from Faerie hiding in the town’s shadows. We’d be chasing death faeries out of the streets for a month. Admittedly, my own rule against spilling faerie blood in this realm had gone out the window lately… Think, Ivy. Might my magic be able to calm them? Most likely, no. I didn’t dare cross the boundary, not outnumbered like this. I’d only aggravate them further. Or give them a new target.
    A blast of cold air slammed into us from behind. Isabel made a startled noise, while I spun around, sword ready, searching out the new threat. Had the half-faeries brought the fight outside?
    The front of the hedge disappeared, swept away in another blast of wind. I bit back a yelp, arms wrapping around myself, bracing my feet to avoid being knocked over. A figure moved past us, driving us aside with the force of the power they— he— carried. Clouds drove in, sweeping over the nearby houses. My teeth chattered, legs locking in place as leaves stirred up by the wind whipped against me.
    The Mage Lord, tall and imposing, strode past me as if I wasn’t there.
    “Enough,” Lord Vance Colton said, his voice projected by what I assumed was a spell. “If you don’t stop, you’ll cause irreversible damage to your home and to this realm.”
    Shocked faces stared through gaps in the hedge, most mid-fight.
    “What the hell?” yelled a half-faerie. “It’s not your business.”
    “I am Lord Colton of the West Midlands district Mage Council, and I have authority to have any of you detained for causing a danger to the human and supernatural communities. If you cause any more damage, you’ll find yourself at the mercy of every mage in this district.”
    Whoa. Guess he was prepared to take on Faerie, after all. With the power crackling over his head and slicing up the air, I almost believed he’d be able to face down a Sidhe lord.
    Almost.
    “Is that clear?” he asked of the ringing silence. I’d been so startled by his sudden appearance, I only now realised the rioting had stopped altogether. Whoa.
    “Is that clear?” he repeated, moving close to the bars of the gate. The air stirred into a cutting breeze, tearing leaves from the hedge and forcing me to back away, feet braced on the pavement.
    “Yes,” said the nearest half-faerie, tripping over his own feet in an effort to get away.
    I watched, open-mouthed, as the riot dissolved. Vance had stopped the fight like a schoolteacher disciplining an unruly hall of kids.
    Which left… us. “Vance,” I said. “Is there—”
    “Leave them,” he said. “Let them sort out their own battles.”
    He turned heel and vanished—literally. In addition to being able to grab objects out of thin air, the Mage Lord had an interesting relationship with the laws of physics. Like the ability to effectively teleport.
    What the hell? Last time I’d spoken to him, he’d promised me a date. Now he’d taken away my job. Again.
    “What was that?” said Isabel.
    I shrugged. The Mage Lord had actually rendered me speechless. Fury surged, and I kicked at the half-faeries’ gate. “No clue.”
    “I thought he was…”
    “My friend? My freaking boss?” I swore and kicked the gate with my other foot. Now my bruised toes matched. Brilliant.
    Isabel stared after the Mage Lord. “I’ve seen some scary-ass magic, but… damn. I’d rather face down a shifter.”
    “He’s part shifter, technically,” I said.
    “That explains the temper.”
    “I know, he’s positively cuddly.” Actually, Vance was the only person