Chapter 2257

Daniel shook his head."No. Do it again."

Grace looked up."Dammit. No time. Think on it. I have to go."

Grace stepped back into the darkness and disappeared. A shadow passed briefly over them, and Daniel looked up and saw one of Grace's boots disappear overhead. A couple of moments later, two guards looked down into the pit. One of them hawked and spat into the hole. The guards laughed and walked away.

Daniel looked at his girls."I didn't catch what Grace just did. Did anyone?"

No one said anything and then a small glowing orb appeared between them, lighting up their faces with wonder. Daniel gasped with the others and then looked at Jasmine and her smug look.

"Jasmine?"

"It's easy! You just need to redirect the magicthrough the loop Grace described. It's just an

entanglement. It looks like the loops are connected, but they're not. Well, they are and they're not. It's hard to explain. It's like turning it inside out!You just have to look at it in a different way. Watch!"

The small orb disappeared, and Jasmine slowly did what she had done again. A new orb appeared, glowing softly. Daniel couldn't follow it because everything was internal to Jasmine. Amy then made a small noise of wonder and second orb appeared. Amber made a pleased sound and another orb appeared.

"How?" was all Daniel could ask.

Amber grinned at him."It's easy! Redirect the magic out of the loops. Turn it inside out, just like Jasmine said!"

"I can't see what you did!" whined Daniel.

The witches looked at one another in surprise. "We see everything each other does."

"Can you see what I do?" asked Daniel.

"Only when you power us," admitted Amy.

"Not when you power me?"

They all shook their heads."Nope. We can see how we power you, but not what you do with it."

"Something to ask Bitty about," mutteredDaniel. He looked at his girls."Are you limited?"

Jasmine shook her head, then looked thoughtful and the orb brightened."Nope. Just feels weird bending the magic like I have to do. It's weird. There's a delay."

Amy and Amber nodded."Yup, weird."

"What now?" asked Daniel. "Can you removethese things?"

The three witches focused on their manacles and then on Daniel's. Eventually they shook their heads."No," said Amy."We can work magic outside the manacles but not on them. It's kind of like trying to look at your own back or lick your own elbow."

Daniel thought hard watching Jasmine trying to lick her own el bow and failing."Okay, we hide this for now. Until we can figure out what's

going on."

They all looked at one another and nodded. Daniel felt a little hope now that he knew his girls could use their magic. They were no longer defenceless.

They were just stuck in a pit.

Surrounded by thousands of crazy Light fae.

>>>>>>>>

WITH LITTLE ELSE to do, the girls tried to get Daniel to understand how they were manipulating their magic past the manacles. He kept at it, but it eluded him. His use of magic was more often than naught brute force compared to the girls'lighter touch. Except for maybe Amber. But she had managed it somehow.

Hours passed into days. Grace would appear everyday with food and drink for them. They would talk briefly and then she would have to leave. Grace said Queen Titania was treating the others fairly. She expected another audience sometime soon. She had them promise to only

speak when the queen spoke to them directly, otherwise Grace would speak for everyone.

They knew the audience was happening when a pallet was lowered into the Pit. A Light fae guard looked down into the pit."Get on. All of you."

They climbed on and clutched the ropes connected to the corners. The lift was hoisted up in strong jerks until they cleared the edge of the pit. Three guards grabbed the pallet and pulled it sideways while the ropes were slackened. They were dropped on the ground beside the Pit.

As they stepped off, Daniel looked around at the large cavern. Low burning torches lined the walls of the rough-hewn cave. An archway appeared to be the only exit leading out into a corridor.

Glaives poked at them and urged them to start making their way down the corridor and up several flights of stairs. They passed three guard stations before they found themselves in front of a heavy, copper bound door. One of the guards banged the wood of the door with a heavy gauntlet.

Moments later, the door swung silently inward on heavy hinges. Daniel was surprised to see the door was at least a foot thick. A glaive smacked Daniel's ass and pushed him along. They walked into the next area, past another guard station, and saw stairs ascending up to who knew where. They trudged along and up the massive flight of stairs that seemed to climb forever.

Weakened by a lack of food and water, they begged to pause their ascent a few times. The guards snickered but agreed. By the time the stairs ended, Daniel's legs burned with the exertion. Jasmine was weeping softly. Amber looked beyond furious. Amy looked worried.

The corridor they found themselves in was barren like all the others. They walked and soon they were twisted around and climbed a much smaller set of stairs. Decorations started to appear, and then rich carpets covered the stone floors. Moments later, they were marched into a meeting room of some kind. A large table filled the middle of the room surrounded by thick, sturdy, and ornate chairs. The walls were covered in intricate tapestries showing depictions from the fae wars. In all the needlework, Light fae were eviscerating or

beheading Night fae, leering smiles on the Light fae faces, and horror on the Night fae ones.

They were lined up against a wall and told to stand and wait. Daniel held Jasmine to his chest, as she continued to weep. Anger was the only feeling Daniel felt. These Light fae had abducted them and now made Jasmine cry.

I will never forgive them, he decided. The phoenix power inside him approved, startling Daniel. The power had never acknowledged anything he did before. Can you hear me? he asked internally, but he heard only silence.

Much later the door on the far side of the room opened and Grace and the others walked in and were lined up across the table from them. As soon as they caught sight of one another, questions flew until one of the guards banged his glaive on the floor and demanded silence.

The tried to communicate with their eyes alone but gave up eventually. The door opened again, and this time Oberon stepped in and sat at the table.

"Leave,"he ordered the guards. Daniel watched

as the expressionless guards marched out and closed the door behind them. Oberon looked at them all and then smiled."Please, sit. I have refreshments coming shortly."

When Grace noisily dragged a chair away from the table and then dropped into it, they others followed suit. Daniel and his ladies placed their manacled hands loudly on to the table with a metallic clatter.

No sooner had they sat than the door opened again, and servants entered and placed a heaping platter of meat, bread, and steaming vegetables, and a huge fruit platter on the table. A stack of wooden plates was added, and then fine goblets and pitchers of chilled wine and water.

"Eat. Please. Then we will speak," declaredOberon and poured himself a glass of wine and leaned back in his seat. His eyes drifted over to Grace and remained there.

Grace led the charge and filled a side plate to overflowing and dug in, tearing succulent meat from bones, and chewing loudly.

Oberon looked disgusted and looked away.

Daniel didn't hesitate. He reached out with both hands and grabbed food. It went right from the platter to his mouth. He was ravenous and so were his ladies. The food dwindled on the platters until Daniel lay back in his seat, stomach distended, biting from a juicy but tart apple.

Grace belched loudly, watching Oberon. She pushed back from the table, wiped at her mouth with her napkin and snatched her wine glass from the table and took a deep drink.

"What the fuck is going on, Oberon?"she askedand watched Oberon wince at her words.

"Manners, please!" he begged her.

"Manners are the furthest thing from my mindright now, Oberon."

Oberon sighed and Daniel thought he was acting."No doubt. You have been treated rather fairly, Grace."

Grace looked at Daniel and the ladies."Not all of

us."

Oberon glanced briefly at Daniel and the witches."They are witches with a bound spell caster. Normally they would already be dead by now. They appear to be still alive, so count your blessings."

Grace laughed."That's rich. Glenda and Syn have blessed them. I know you Light fae bastards can see the same shit I can, so you knew right away I wasn't lying. And still, you throw them in the Pit."

Oberon's anger stirred. They could all see it flare."He is a bound spell caster. They are powerful witches. Titania really doesn't care if some old witch woman and a god dess so lost in her sense of justice LIKE them. And neither should you, Night fae. You, more than anyone else, should understand the evil witches are capable of. How many died at your hands? How many died at their hands? Do they know your past, Night fae assassin? Have you shared your storied past?"

Grace spared Daniel and the ladies a quick look. Daniel saw a look of guilt cross her features for a

_

moment."No,I have not, and it doesn't factor. They are who I say they are. They can be trusted. They are critical to future events. You know my skill. You and Titania must understand. We cannot tarry here any longer.”