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sjsmith56 · 22 days

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The Fae Elements, Part 3 - Escape

Summary: Buck saves Sage from two more attacks by the Dark Overlord, deciding to take her to a hideaway known only to a handful of people.

Length: 5 K

Characters: Buck, Sage, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Hope, Maria, Thor, Loki.

Warnings: A misunderstanding between Hope and Buck that involves Sage, evidence of some tension between Buck and Loki.

Author notes: The image of fae Bucky was created by the author using Microsoft Copilot app in Designer mode. The woman depicted was what the AI repeatedly designed with the parameters I specified. It’s persistence in not making her more generic was trying.

<<Part 2

🌳 🪽🌕

Buck was as good as his word. A gentle knock on my door before sunrise roused me. My clothes were returned to me, but Maria assured me I could keep the tunic and leggings, reasoning it would be more comfortable for travelling. He met me for breakfast then led me to an opening to that broad valley I saw through the library window. After handing me my purse, car and apartment keys, he asked me to trust him. Just like when he carried me away from danger, Buck told me to sleep. When I awoke, I was standing in front of my building, with him at my side.

“Magic?”

He nodded. “If you don’t mind, I would like to escort you to your door, just for my own peace of mind. Your car was already brought back to your parking stall, and your apartment checked then but my people were unable to stay as there was trouble.” I frowned but he just smiled. “Do not be concerned. Shall we go up?”

The doorman greeted me but acted like Buck wasn’t there, so I assumed he had made himself invisible to everyone except me. On the elevator up to my floor I thought of something.

“Your two princes, Steve and Sam, were they invisible to the others in the courtroom?”

“No, they were visible. If anyone questioned them, they would identify themselves as lobbyists for Gaia Life. They are my eyes and ears in Washington, although I find myself here more often than not. Before the 20th century I rarely appeared in public. Since the 1950s I have been more visible, although not always recognized. I can look quite ordinary and forgettable to most mortals when I am seen.”

The elevator stopped at my floor, and I stepped off, only for Buck to touch my arm and step in front of me. He put his finger on his lips as we got closer, then looked carefully at my door.

“There is an enchantment on your door and not from one of my people. It has a burnt smell.”

I took a deep breath and could sense it, almost like walking outside and getting a whiff of smoke that smelled like sulphur. It wasn’t pleasant. Holding his hands up to my door he placed them over the seam between the door and the frame, without touching it. A glow appeared from his fingertips and sought entrance into my apartment, seeping inside. We waited as he seemed to listen then the seams glowed, and the light flowed back into his fingers.

“It’s safe to open the door but I suspect someone was inside,” he said. “Be prepared.”

Unlocking the door, I pushed it open, where the burnt smell was definitely worse. Buck stepped inside with me, and we walked into the living room. Everything seemed alright, then I saw the orchid on the carpet, its flowers snapped off the stem and scattered. With a muttering sound Buck picked it up, cradling it in his hand.

“They must have seen the card and known it was a gift from me,” he said, an incensed look evident in his eyes. “I’m more concerned that they know where you live. Did you store sensitive information here?”

“No, I left everything at the office,” I replied. “Although, my work laptop was in my briefcase. I don’t see that here. I should check the other rooms.”

He accompanied me to my bedroom, where my briefcase was open on the bed. My laptop wasn’t in it.

“Pack a bag,” he ordered calmly. “You’re not safe here. We have a safe house in Washington. Sam and Steve live there and can provide security for you. Is there someone you should contact about the laptop?”

I nodded. “My boss. I need my laptop for my court appearance today. He’ll have to file for a delay until I get the information back. Everything on it could still be in my cloud account which is encrypted.”

A tilt and small shake of his head told me that magic likely trumped any encryption that protected my work, but I had to try to save it. Placing the call on speaker while I changed into jeans and a T-shirt, I told my boss about being attacked the previous night, then my apartment being broken into, and laptop stolen. To say he was upset was an understatement. He was livid, especially that I hadn’t called the police. Buck must have been able to hear the conversation from the living room because he was suddenly in front of me and gestured for my phone.

“Mr. Larson, James Barnes of Gaia Life here,” he said, while I laced up my boots and put on a jacket. “Yes, that James Barnes. My people intervened on behalf of Ms. Hawthorne last night and we kept her safe. The decision not to call the police was mine, as we aren’t dealing with amateurs. They have eyes and ears everywhere and her location would have been compromised if we called the police in. Could you please file for a delay on Ms. Hawthorne’s court appearance today? If you can possibly protect your own servers and isolate them from the cloud you may have a chance to protect your data.” He paused as my boss said something. Looking at me with a grim smile he nodded. “My security people will see to Ms. Hawthorne’s safety, I promise. Her wellbeing is important to us. Thank you for your understanding. Good luck in protecting your data.”

Handing my phone back to me, he stepped to my closet looking for a bag, bringing it out and placing it on the bed.

“Packing, right,” I said, quickly going to my dresser and starting with the essentials, of underwear first.

“Stick with casual wear as your boss understands you won’t be in for a while,” he said. “Do you have any more hearings scheduled this coming week?”

I shook my head as other than the preliminary one today, I was supposed to focus my attention on getting more evidence against HYDRA Mining. While I packed more clothes he stood in front of the bedroom window, looking out, then turned around to me suddenly.

“We have to go, now,” he said. “They know we’re here and they’re coming.”

I shoved everything inside then grabbed my purse and stuffed it inside the bag. Placing the strap crossways over my body I tightened it so that it wouldn’t slip off. He stood in front of my door and placed his hands against it, making it glow all over, then took me by the hand and out onto my balcony. Suddenly, a set of wings appeared on his back, and he lifted me up bridal style.

“No time to put you to sleep for this ride,” he said apologetically. “Place one arm around my neck and grasp the strap on my jacket with the other, firmly. Don’t panic, don’t look down, and close your eyes if it gets to be too much.”

A pounding at the door of my apartment could be heard even out on the balcony and he stepped up onto the railing, balancing precariously on it, although he made it look easy. Just as several men with red eyes wearing dark hoodies burst through my door he leaped off and swooped down in a dive before his wings began to flap, lifting us up over the nearby buildings and away from the intruders. I watched his face as he carried me away, almost awestruck at the level of intensity he showed as he effortlessly carried me higher, into the clouds. Once we were no longer visible to the men on the balcony, he looked at me, his concern evident.

“Are you alright?” I nodded, watching only him as we soared through the sky. “You’re handling the flight well. If you become my mate, you’ll get your own wings.”

“Were you angels once?”

I blushed, thinking it was a stupid question to ask, but he smiled, seemingly amused.

“Related, but different,” he explained. “We have mates and families. They don’t as they devote their entire being to something greater. It makes some of them … grumpy. We both fight the darkness but during the troubles many of them were reluctant to protect us as they can’t hide their differences like we can. It’s a sore point for some of my kind.”

We started descending and broke through the clouds. We were still in Washington and heading towards what looked like a park on a hill. As we got closer, I could see a shimmering light that we flew through, revealing a gated mansion with a large courtyard. The two men from the courtroom, Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson, were waiting there as we landed.

“They broke in just as I set off,” said Buck, as he set me down, his wings disappearing as soon as he did. “I didn’t have time to put Sage to sleep for the trip, but she handled it well.”

“More evidence that she is to be your mate,” said Steve, receiving a warning look from Buck. “Sorry, I just think she’s the one.” This time I gave him a similar look. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be talking about you as if you’re not here when you’re standing in front of me.”

“Have our people recovered her laptop data?” Bucky asked before turning to me. “You already sensed we can telepathically communicate with each other. I passed on the information about your laptop going missing.”

“Yes, our operative was at your office, helping your tech people access it,” said Sam. “She thought she recovered almost everything. We’ve also confirmed that the attackers last night were connected to Rumlow. He’s a dark fae, who works for HYDRA Mining and their lawyer, who you faced in the hearing yesterday.”

“Pierce,” I said. “There was a dark-haired man with him yesterday, who looked quite intimidating. My assistant said he was one of their high-ranking executives.”

“That’s Rumlow,” confirmed Buck. “He’s likely the one who sent the attackers to your apartment.”

“Are we safe here?” I asked, suddenly feeling vulnerable out in the open like we were.

“Very but not completely,” replied Buck, then he looked at the two princes. “Call in more security and have them onsite here.”

“Already on their way from the stronghold,” said Sam. “That’s where you were last night.”

I nodded, realizing that part was for me. With his hand lightly on my back, Buck guided me inside the mansion. It was an incredible place, like something out of a beautiful homes' magazine, full of light. A dark-haired woman came out from a doorway.

“Hope, this is Sage Hawthorne,” he said. “She was attacked last night by some of the Horde. They attacked again at her apartment this morning, but I was able to bring her here. Can you show her to a room?”

“You’re the daughter of Fern and Matthew,” she stated, glancing at my necklace. “As a descendant of Lilith, are you to be mated with our king?”

“No,” he spoke immediately. “I made the offer, but she rejected it and I respect her reasons.”

“Then I don’t understand why she is here,” replied the woman, looking surprised. “If she has rejected the offer and you’ve accepted that, then she is no longer your concern. She opens herself up to the Dark Overlord, to be aligned with the dark fae.”

Buck looked concerned at being questioned by the woman, as if he wasn’t in command. She apparently wanted some sort of explanation. He turned to me.

“Sage, you can be turned if the Horde take you to their master,” he said. “Forgive me for not telling you. The ritual that I described to you can be used by both light and dark fae, although their ritual has darker aspects to it. If you will not be my mate, then I must make sure that you don’t become the mate of the Dark Overlord.” He looked meaningfully at Hope. “I would not wish their ritual on anyone. Sage is under my protection. Once the summer solstice has passed her magic can be scattered to the winds and she will be safe for all time.”

“That’s a month away,” I replied. “You were going to keep me a prisoner until then?”

“No, of course not. I was going to keep you safe as best I could. I meant what I said about respecting your decision not to be my queen. The Dark Overlord would not. He would force you to mate with him, binding you and your power to him. You would have no free will with him, being only a conduit for his power and lust.”

“Unlike you,” I said, a little sarcastically, making him frown.

“I would never force you.” His eyes seemed to blaze with a blue light. “If you had accepted me, I would freely share my power with you, and help you develop your own. You would be at my side, not under my heel. It would be a life well lived. Since you refused my offer, I wished only to keep you safe until the danger to you passed.”

“A gilded cage is still a cage,” I replied. “Even if it’s only for a month.”

He shook his head, then watched as Hope led me up the grand staircase. She didn’t say anything as we ascended the stairs, before opening the last door before a set of double doors at the end of a hallway. As I stepped inside, she didn’t leave right away. Instead, she once again looked at my necklace, as if it meant something to her.

“Would you rather the king leaves you to be taken by the Horde? Is that how you repay what he sacrificed for your mother and father?”

I dropped my bag off on the bed and walked up to her.

“What are you talking about?”

She smiled sadly. “He never breathed a word about it, did he?” She looked out the door for a moment then closed it. “You know he wished to court your mother, but she and your father had already sealed their marriage, giving their hearts and souls to each other. After meeting them, he knew he couldn’t interfere in their love even though it was within the powers of his magic to do so. Instead, he used his own life force to keep them hidden from the Horde and their master. The chances of them having a daughter with the gift was high so he hid your family, dampening your mother’s gift, and likely yours so neither of you were targeted. The Dark Overlord would have had no problem slaying your father and taking her for his own. You saw the king at the funeral of your father, when he should have been visible only to your mother.”

“Yes, I saw him. I still don’t understand.”

“Because his spell protected your mother and any girl children, he should have sensed your powers, but he didn’t. It’s likely your powers were latent, only appearing after a time of great emotion, the death of your father. When they were noticed, at the moment he was aware you could see him, it would be like a beacon from a lighthouse, shining in the night, as bright as the moon, visible not just to him but to any fae king or overlord, light or dark. Did the king give you a gift?”

“Yes, he left an orchid in my apartment that night,” I replied. “It was beautiful. Whoever broke into my place destroyed it.”

Taking my hand in hers, she squeezed it. “The orchid was a talisman, to mark you as under his protection. The king is right to protect you. He’s the only one who will respect your autonomy. Believe that. Why did you reject his offer?”

I looked away, unsure about whether to answer but she demanded to know again.

“Because he didn’t offer his love,” I said. “I want a love as great as what my parents had, but he said he was incapable of it.”

“Of course he would say that.” She shook her head again. “He probably believes it. But he does have feelings for you. It’s why he’s protecting you. By the laws of our kind, he offered you marriage and you rejected him. As king he had the right to enchant you to accept him, but he didn’t because that’s not the type of fae he is. To enchant a descendant of Lilith into accepting him would be an insult to her legacy. He wants you but on your terms.”

“How do you know this? Are you a descendant of Lilith?”

She smiled. “Yes, I am but I also know him very well. I am his daughter. My mother was his last wife, Daere. He told you of her, didn’t he?”

I nodded, remembering the sadness in his eyes as he briefly explained what happened to her. There was so much more to their story, as Hope told me how her mother and father ruled side by side. But when Daere’s aging mortal sister was accused of witchcraft, they were unable to rescue her in time. She was hung and it broke his wife’s heart. A year later she had completely faded away, and Buck retreated from the world of men for more than 150 years. It was more information that provided the missing pieces of the fae king as it seemed Buck didn’t want to influence me one way or another.

Hope tilted her head slightly and stood up, having received a telepathic message. “Lunch has been prepared. Please join us.”

We went down that grand staircase and into a large dining room. There were half a dozen people there and apparently a half dozen more who were patrolling the property. I recognized Maria again from the stronghold and received a smile from her in return. Buck approached me, offering me his hand.

“Are you alright?”

I glanced at Hope. “Better, now that I have more information.”

“I didn’t want to inundate you with too much.” He kissed my hand. “I will try not to keep anything more from you.” He turned to the others. “You already met Maria, Steve and Sam. These two princes are Thor and Loki. They are from the Norwegian kingdom of our larger fae population.” I raised my eyebrows at their names, associating them with the Norse gods. Buck nodded his head understanding my reaction. “They are one and the same.”

Thor stepped forward, taking my hand in his large grip and kissing it gently. “Lady Sage, you are very much like your mother. I am sorry for your loss. Your father was a good friend to many in the fae world.”

“I’m not privy to what he did, other than Buck held him in the highest regard,” I replied. “Perhaps you can tell me more at lunch.”

“It would be my pleasure.”

His voice rumbled deeply, sounding like distant thunder and I wondered if he had been there at the time I was first attacked, remembering the sound of thunder in the distance. As if he read my mind, he smiled and winked. Loki was suddenly in front of me, his approach so stealthy that I stepped back in surprise. He also touched my hand, raising it to his lips, but his touch felt cooler, almost icy. Although he spoke kindly to me, I had the sense his words were for show.

“Your power is evident, Ms. Hawthorne. Our king is right to keep you under his personal protection for you would be a powerful addition to either side of the fae.”

I glanced at Buck, who said nothing, but his jaw was clenched in a way that I could see a muscle just above his jaw twitch. There was an undercurrent of uneasiness at either Loki’s words or the man himself. Slowly, I withdrew my hand from his, and stepped closer to Buck, hopefully indicating my preference to associate myself with him. Loki just tilted his head and stepped back, seemingly unperturbed. The last person stepped forward, a petite woman with long reddish hair. Although I didn’t get a good look at her before I was pretty sure she was the woman who descended upon the men who attacked me, and I brought it up.

“I am Wanda,” she replied. “I was there.” She glanced at my neck. “You took advantage of the fae healing pools, I see. The Horde are not subtle in their touch.”

I raised my hand to it instinctively but said nothing. Maria led us all to the dining room then left to coordinate the serving of lunch. I watched her leave, wondering at her role, since this was the third different place I had seen her in.

“She’s not a servant,” said Buck, leaning close to me. “In many ways she’s like a concierge or a personal assistant, handling all sorts of tasks for us that require a more human presence.”

The door to the kitchen banged open and Maria rushed out.

“We have reports of a contingent of the Horde massing outside the barrier. I don’t know how they knew about this place. It shouldn’t have been possible for them to detect it. Our people outside are preparing for an attack.”

Thor stood up immediately. “Loki and I will go assist them.” He looked at Buck. “I think it’s time you and Lady Sage went underground. If you are as prepared as our king, you have places to hide that even your own people don’t know about. I would suggest you go there.” Offering his forearm to the king he placed his other hand on Buck’s shoulder. “Go, take Lady Sage to safety. All of us here will hold off the Horde.”

Taking my hand Buck led me to the grand staircase. Hope followed us as the others went outside to fight against the intruders. We stopped at my room to pick up my bag then went out to a rooftop terrace. Booming sounds from the perimeter of the property reverberated back to us.

“They’re throwing all sorts of spells on the barrier,” said Hope. “They could break through. Father, you have to go.”

“I should at least tell you where,” he replied, looking at his daughter with concern.

“No, if I don’t know, I can’t tell them.” Her eyes teared up as she glanced at me. “Allow yourself to love again. Mother would want it.”

They hugged and she stepped back a considerable distance as he focused on me, while his wings materialized.

“Stand very close to me, hug me,” he ordered. “We’ll fly eventually, but my wings will protect you as we teleport.” I looked up at him, surprised. “It’s a quicker way and leaves less of a trail to track. We’ll teleport several times until I’m sure we’re clear. Close your eyes if you get dizzy as it can be confusing if you’re not used to it.”

Doing as I was told I pressed myself into his body, feeling the warmth radiating from him as I wrapped my arms around him. His wings enclosed me, and I looked up in time to see him relax and close his eyes. The sky disappeared and we were in a roaring tunnel of wind, light, and sound. Even though he said to close my eyes, I held him tighter and peeked out from where my head was pressed into his chest. Then it suddenly stopped, and we were on a beach, somewhere in the tropics. He opened his eyes and looked down at me.

“You alright?”

A rushing sound made him aware of another teleportation in process but before he could send us on another leg, it stopped, and a person appeared, one of the Horde, based on his red eyes. Stepping in front of me, Buck reacted to the flash of a sword, as the weapon was swung at him. He produced his own sword out of thin air and advanced on the man. As they fought, I could hear another teleport in process as the rushing sound grew louder. When it stopped Loki was there and he immediately drew his own sword, calling to Buck.

“Take her,” he called. “I’ve got this one.”

Rushing towards the pair he inserted himself into the fight, enough so that Buck could return to me and enclose me again in his wings. Instantly, we were transported, landing on a cargo ship in the ocean. Without stopping he teleported again and this time we arrived on a country road in the middle of a rainstorm.

“Last one!”

Buck teleported once more, and we ended up on a path in a forest. Drawing me into the shadows of several large trees we waited for some time, then he listened, closing his eyes for several long moments.

“I think we shook them,” he said, looking at me. “There’s no sign of any teleportation disturbances nearby.” He looked up at the sky. “We’ll have to walk a bit until we get to the barrier but once we pass through it, we can fly the rest of the way. It won’t be for long.”

Offering to take my bag, we started walking along the trail. It wasn’t a well-worn path, but it was noticeable. It made me wonder if others used it. I cleared my throat to ask but Buck spoke.

“It’s used by wildlife,” he said. “We’re pretty deep in a large forest preserve, surrounded by several different waterways. I stayed here before and have kept a sizeable portion hidden with magic. The animals are the only ones who use this as they aren’t corruptible, not like people.” He looked at me. “When we get to the boundary, you’ll have to hold my hand to cross.”

“We’ll be alone?”

“Yes. It’s a sanctuary.” He stopped, then took a breath. “This is where I came with my daughter after Daere died. I stayed here in mourning, alone for about 150 years give or take a few times when my attention was required elsewhere.” He started walking then stopped again. “They shouldn’t have found us in Washington, but they did. Either they found a way to track us, or someone betrayed us. Do you have your cell phone?”

“Yeah, but it’s dead. I forgot to bring my charging cord and it was dead when you gave me my purse at the stronghold.”

“Show me.”

Taking my bag from him, I opened it up and pulled my purse out, opening it. He took my cell phone from me and held it in the palm of one hand while placing the other over it. For a few moments it glowed then he nodded his head and handed it back.

“It wasn’t your phone as it was dead before it was brought to the stronghold. Which means it was a person.”

“Does anyone know about this place we’re going to?”

“My children and a couple of others,” he answered. “It’s not them.”

“Maybe they want you out of the way so they can be king or queen,” I said.

“It doesn’t work that way, not for the fae world. Candidates are selected and meet in a sacred place where a sacred tree picks one to be king or queen. I was chosen over four others. If any of the other’s objected, they would have been cast out for the tree’s choice is said to be sacred.”

“Do you know who the others were?”

“Yes, you met Loki. The others were from other families in this kingdom, and they publicly accepted the decision. Even though Loki’s family’s kingdom is in Norway the sacred tree sometimes chooses from elsewhere. It brings new bloodlines in. If I had faded away after Daere died there would have been a new choosing. Sometimes I’m surprised I didn’t fade away. I grieved for a long time.” He sighed then picked up my bag and began walking again. “The Dark Overlord is a dark fae and he is behind this. He covets your power.”

We reached a clearing and Buck handed my bag back to me, to sling over my shoulder. Taking my hand, he walked slowly forward, keeping me close. The scene shimmered and glowed then we were through what I assume was the boundary, although it looked the same inside. Picking me up once more he launched himself into the sky and we flew for about half an hour, before he swooped in among some more trees and we landed in front of a very rustic but pretty cottage with moss on the roof. He looked up at it for several long moments with a soft but sad expression on his face.

“I built this, with my own two hands, after Daere died,” he said quietly. “This is where I lived with Hope while I grieved her. Only my children and some trusted friends have been here. You’re one of only a few mortals to even be within the boundary. There is only one bed now, but I will sleep on the sofa and honour your autonomy for as long as we are here, Sage. You have my word.”

Well, this was going to be interesting. So far, Buck had made a lot of effort to keep me safe. Although he hadn’t lied to me, I was certain there were things he hadn’t told me. Whether it was privileged information, or he was keeping me safe by limiting my knowledge of his world didn’t really matter. I trusted him and felt safe in this isolated hideaway. My only real concern was that being in close proximity to him, and only him, might result in my own feelings becoming more than trust. If I fell in love with him, the possibility of living an extended and privileged life with him was appealing. His courtship of me, might become something much more permanent.

Part 4>>

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