The banshee Eaganath, commander of the Unseelie Prince’s scouting force, knelt before her master, awaiting his orders with overwhelming anticipation. The messenger crow that had delivered her master’s commands sat on her shoulder, pecking into her white skin until a stream of blood flowed down her warped limbs. She shivered in pleasure at the memory of the crow’s arrival. A blob of shadow had clung to its back, and upon crushing the shadow with her fist, her master’s distorted words filled the air of the encampment. Her master had ordered her home, and he had even addressed her by name!
As if fleeing from a powerful enemy, she gambled her life, pushing her body beyond its limits: never resting, never sleeping, and never feeding. In her malnourished state, her elongated limbs protruded in contorted angles, but she had returned to the territory within the month. She had abandoned the scouting force to the Wilds, leaving them to fend for themselves until a leader emerged once more.
Confident that she had adequately accomplished her master’s orders, she did not wail in comfort or shake in fear at the Prince’s presence. With the help of her master’s partner, she scouted every square inch of the pack’s border, ensuring that every gap in their defenses was ready to be exploited by the Unseelie army. Now, she would remain on standby, patiently awaiting her master to signal the attack.
The Prince stood in front of a wall of shimmering air with his wings of pure shadow folded onto his back. Twinkling fog seeped out of the incorporeal wall at a slow but constant pace, infusing the air with its foreign power. Sparkling wisps of smoke allowed their survival in this strange world, imbuing the air with a palatable atmosphere of magic. Should the portal ever deny them these scraps, the Fae would go extinct within a matter of weeks.
The Prince basked in the magic of their homeland, breathing in the sparkling fog with intoxicating pleasure. He gazed at the portal with such hopeless longing that she wept rivers of blood down her white cheeks, sharing in his despair. For months or even years at a time, the Prince would gaze upon the shimmering portal; his mind completely consumed by the gate that refused him entry to his homeland.
On one infamous day, the portals that the Fae had used for thousands of years closed their gates, denying its naïve travelers the joys of their world forever. The provocative portal seduced countless Fae with promises of a never-ending supply of prey. Human souls sang their siren’s call, enticing the Fae to travel between dimensions. Back and forth, to and from, the Fae traveled for a millennium, never once considering that their guaranteed homecoming would transform into a longing obsession, dangling just out of their reach.
“The portal refuses to name its price for our passage, preferring to revel in our misery. If it means our race’s survival, we must be willing to sacrifice anything…even the lives of myself and the King,” the Prince said, raising his hand to caress the portal.
His sleek muscles flexed as he pushed with his monstrous strength, and yet, his arm remained frozen, not moving a centimeter forward. A single centimeter tormented the Unseelie, but no matter what earthshaking strength or apocalyptic magic they threw at it, they could not cross the invisible barrier.
“Yes, Master,” Eaganath said, gazing upon the thin barrier that forever made her an invasive species. Lost in his daydreams, her words failed to penetrate her master’s dazed thoughts.
“Our ways are too alien for this world. What we considered as the natural order of things in our homeland, the denizens of this world deem evil.”
The prince scratched at the shimmering air with his onyx claws, creating a shower of sparks that illuminated his face in the shadows. “The day is fast approaching when the alliance we so eagerly joined centuries ago will turn their sights on our eradication. Not even the Vampires will suffer our existence much longer.”
Muscles straining with effort, the Prince struggled to turn his back on the portal until he finally faced Eaganath, showering her with his magnificent gaze. “What would they ask of us? Everything we do is for survival.”
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Shadows swirled around him, obscuring his features and leaving two purple globes floating in the darkness. “Should the Red Caps become pacifists, refusing battle and ensuring the extinction of their species? Should the Banshees and Sluagh not hunt, starving themselves until they waste away in agony? Should the Hags abandon their spells, forever fated to suffer the withdrawals of the magic running through their veins?”
The shadows began to spin, whirling into a tornado of darkness. “Why must they label our survival as villainy? The Vampires prey on the weak, gorging themselves on intoxicating blood. Shifters are like carnivorous locusts, ripping apart any animals unfortunate enough to exist in their forests. Humans are responsible for countless atrocities that cause even me to shiver in fear.”
The tornado of shadows froze in mid-air before pooling to the ground at his feet, revealing the Prince’s face once more. “And yet, we are considered the anomaly in this alien world. Shunned by our neighbors, hated by our allies, and feared by all.”
“Is it so wrong to seek happiness and prosperity for our offspring?” the Prince asked, his voice dropping to a whisper.
Surprise showed on his face as his glowing purple eyes focused on Eaganath for the first time. Those hypnotizing eyes represented the best chance she had to provide her daughters with a suitable home. A home whose very air would not poison their lungs, whose grasses would not cause painful rashes to break out upon their skin, and whose residents did not hate them for the sole reason of existing. Those eyes represented all of her hopes in this lifetime, and she would do anything they asked of her.
“You have exceeded your predecessor, Eaganath. I am most pleased with the intelligence you have brought back to me,” the Prince said, lingering confusion still lacing his voice.
Pleasure coursed through Eaganath, so potent that she couldn’t control her shiver. He only praised her if she brought them closer to opening the portal; her entire life was devoted to such occurrences. “Thank you, Master! I, your humble servant, exist only to serve.”
The Prince ignored her groveling, likely too concerned with more important matters. “I have received word from my partner within the pack. The young alpha, so close to ruin a short few months ago, has begun to solidify her power. An ignorant human has thwarted my partner’s meticulous efforts to create rampant turmoil in the pack.”
Eaganath kept her head bowed, clenching her pointed teeth at the thought of an insignificant human stealing her daughters’ futures. Her role was not to offer advice or counsel, so she smothered her fury into silence.
“Then there is the matter of the slain vampire. My partner is concerned that a coven will attack the pack in retribution. Before the vampires attack, my partner must have time to fill the vacuum of power that the current alpha’s death will leave.”
Vampire? The pack must have committed such a foolish mistake after she left the scouting forces. What would possess them to challenge the might of a coven?
“I wonder if they will celebrate when we justify their prejudices. Will their beaming smiles shine through their ash and blood-covered faces? Will the fruition of their self-fulfilling prophecy shower them in joy as they wallow in suffering and death?”
The Prince’s billowing wings unfurled, causing Eaganath to gasp at their beauty. “We cannot tarry any longer. It is time for that serene forest to face the full might of my army.”
Eaganath shook with excitement. After decades of patiently waiting in the shadows, the time for action had finally arrived. “Will you personally lead the army, Master?”
The Prince graced her with a divine smile, fangs gleaming in the amethyst glow of his eyes. “I think it’s time I spread my wings once more. Eaganath, you have forty-five days to lead the army to the attack site. Do not fail me.”
“Yes, Master!” she said, bowing until her forehead slammed into the rotted ground.
“After all…” the Prince said with a smug smile spreading across his celestial face. “…my partner grows tired of my continued absence. If I don’t play my role in this performance, they may take offense.”
Whirling shadows covered the Prince and Eaganath, distorting reality and depositing them at the base of his throne. Eaganath retched on the ground, her stomach churning from the disorienting travel.
The Prince turned to gaze at the thousands of creatures lying in wait behind his throne. “Soldiers! We march to the annihilation of those who deny our right to exist! Show them what horrors the Unseelie are capable of when threatened with extinction!”
The cacophony of weapons slamming into the ground shook the earth, throwing Eaganath to her knees. Clicks, hisses, and roars rang out from every direction, reaching a volume that forced even Eaganath to cover her ears in pain. The Prince smiled at his army…his power. He had hidden too long beside his portal. The time had come for the world to remember his name.