Chapter Five

 

 

 

 

Shade

The flurry of people made the Teleen Caverns feel claustrophobic, a feeling I rarely experienced. Everyone wanted to meet the Ancient Summer Queen Kilara. Everyone except those who knew better. The Ancient had not been too kind the last time we’d met. If I could, I’d ring her neck, but thought it best to take a prudent approach and welcome her.

I wished we didn’t have to.

The throne room was roaring with people, their voices echoing against the cavern walls, amplifying the noise. It made me cringe. I wanted people out of the way, and the queen in me wanted to order them away. Even Dylan, who stood a couple feet from my chair, ignoring me, looked like he felt the same. Even the new captain of the guard couldn’t keep the excited crowd calm.

“Hello, Kilara,” I greeted the Ancient as she approached. I never could get over how we looked so much alike. Anyone could tell that I was Kilara’s descendant. She could have been my mother, but in spite of the obvious truth, I’d deny it to the end. I told people I looked like my mother, Jade, from whom we’d gained our elemental powers. Anyone who suggested I resembled the treacherous Ancient quickly regretted it.

I gripped the sides of my throne until my knuckles turned white, keeping my face poised and my eyes focused on Kilara. I’d have to keep on my toes with this woman because even though I was part faery, I knew I shouldn’t trust anyone. Especially an Ancient. They always had an alternative agenda. I’d been fooled by Kilara before, and I wasn’t going to let it happen again.

“Shade, how good it is to see you again. You look well. Ruling the Southern Realm has done nothing but good things for you.” Kilara smiled like she had never lifted a murderous finger before.

The Ancient glanced to my side where Dylan stood, his cool, steely eyes sharpened in her direction. Her eyes then hovered amusingly over James, who was standing on my other side, next to Soap. He had refused to sit in his chair. He was just coming into his elemental powers, but living in Faerie turned humans into nearly immortal creatures. It affected me, my sister Anna, and James in strange ways. Benton never stayed long enough to be changed at all. I hated how it made us look; it removed the minute imperfections that made us human. It was true that our powers were amplified, and that was nice, but the physical changes were hard to take.

I watched James twitch at the odd sensation of danger rolling off Kilara’s scrutinizing eyes. I could feel it as well, but I hid the discomfort easily while my other brother, Benton, who stood on the sidelines near the crowd, had a scowl carved across face.

“I wish I could say the same thing for you, Kilara.” I stated.

The Ancient smiled through the insult I’d thrown her way.

“It has been far too long, my dear descendant. Don’t forget where you came from, for it is exactly where you will end.” Kilara stared hard at me. What had she meant by that? I couldn’t let her get to me like she had so many times before, twisting her words and turning things her way. I wouldn’t let it get that far again.

Lifting my chin, I peered straight down into the Ancient’s mocking face. “Why are you here, Your Majesty?” Kill them with kindness, right? “You were gone for so long, we thought you were dead.”

Kilara took a step forward, but the Teleen soldiers lining the carpet matched her movements and held out their spears to block her way. She paused, taking them in, amused. She reached out to touch a point of one of the spears, and it easily pierced her skin. A bead of bright crimson blood slid down her slender finger as she watched it hungrily. She lifted it to her awaiting mouth and licked it off.

“As you have predicted, I have come for something that I need from you, my darling Shade. You are the only one who can help me with this. Unfortunately, nobody else can or I would never have returned to your humble presence.”

I squeezed the arms of my chair, my fingers aching as I pressed my lips tight, glaring at Kilara. I knew it. Another darn favor. There was always something, wasn’t there? Favors from and for faeries were never exactly what one thought they would be. They were always wrapped up in conditions, trials, and danger. The air seared hot against my cheeks, and I narrowed my eyes at the Ancient queen.

Dylan, standing next to me, reached out to enfold my hand. Soap, now in the position of second husband even though we had yet to take our vows, stood on the opposite side. Even though he was also standing, everyone could see he was as tense as both of us. Gretel, the Teleen queen, sat on her own throne, listening intently, a frown plastered across lips. She made no attempt to hide her distaste, and her silent support gave me a bit of strength.

“Just spit it out,” I snapped. I was done playing her games. She was not someone I wanted to spend any amount of time hobnobbing with. If she wanted something badly enough to come here, it wasn’t going to be pleasant for anyone involved.

“It’s simple, really, and since it was your uncle Brendan who found the power, it should be an easy task for you to find it for me.”

What? How could my great uncle have known of a power which the Ancients didn’t also know about? During my research in the Pyren, Brendan’s magical study, I didn’t recall anything that might match. I snapped my eyes toward Benton. He’d spent much more time in the Pyren. If there was something so powerful there that Kilara wanted it, he’d know. He shrugged, apparently as lost as I was.

What could it be? Maybe it was a weapon, something Kilara either feared or else wanted to use herself. If so, Brendan would have seen its potential. Or maybe it was something he didn’t quite comprehend. He was a human, after all. Even as an elemental, he did not fully understand the magic of the land of Faerie. If that was the case, he might have easily put it away somewhere and forgotten about it.

I needed more information. “All right,” I said, “tell me what it is, and I’ll decide if it’s safe to hand it over to you.”

“It is the cure to what ails me, Shade. But it is not so easy to recover. I’ve learned that Brendan hid it in The Heart of Fire and Ice.”

I bit my tongue to keep myself from gasping. I knew of this place. It was as old as the Ancients. Like the great oak trees which transport people all over the world, this place was one of the great, eternal mysteries of Faerie, and the location and the true nature of the place had been lost to history. And Brendan had found it? How?

“You’ll have to enter The Heart of Fire and Ice to acquire the magic I need. I’m no longer allowed in—your uncle saw to that—so that is all I know. But you and Benton are some of the only elementals left in the world. As such, you will have a better chance than any faeries I might send. Brendan sealed it, preventing any fey from entering even if they did stumble across it. Retrieve it so that I can live on, for without me, the land will continue to wither. You wouldn’t want that, now would you, Your Majesty?”

I hopped to my feet, my face red. “How dare you? How dare you put the fate Faerie in my hands? You are its caretaker. You need to find something else to save yourself.”

“Oh, Shade. I never thought my own descendant would be so foolish. Everyone who has ever shared my blood has had to obey me. Always. Even you. That goes for your children and your children’s children too. My blood runs through your veins. We are one. You’ll retrieve the magic I cannot access, or we will all pay the consequences of your selfishness. Save your precious land of Faerie. If I die, there’s no telling what will happen here. There’s no telling how fast Faerie will fall. It’s in your hands, not mine.”

I stepped back, stunned by her words and breathing hard. She was mad. Yes, completely off the chain. I glanced at Dylan. His eyes were hard as he shifted his glare from Kilara toward me.

I found no sweet love in those steely grey eyes. No longing. He had effectively walled me off. His cold demeanor remained as he looked away, crossing his arms and staring straight ahead. I could still feel his emotions inside me, but he had chosen to shun me outwardly.

My heart sank. I let my eyes drift over to Soap. He nodded, giving me the reassurance Dylan had refused me. I looked away.

“If I do this for you, Kilara, you have to answer one question for me first.”

“Ask and I will answer.”

She probably thought my question would be of no consequence, but it would tell me more about her and the other Ancients, which was information I needed if I ever had to actively oppose her.

“I could spend years searching the archives for information and still find nothing. So tell me, how will I recognize the thing I need to bring back? I don’t know what it is… an object? A tome? Even the location of this place has been lost. So give me the name of someone I can go to for guidance.” I swallowed hard and watched her eyes, trying to see if she had realized the full consequences of answering my question. It didn’t seem she had. If I was lucky, I might soon learn of someone who had deep knowledge of the Ancients—knowledge that could be used against them.

“I searched for this place myself, of course,” Kilara said. “I stopped after I heard a half-forgotten story about Brendan finding and sealing The Heart, but that is as far as I got. I knew that if he was involved, I would eventually have to come to you. There are two people who would know of this place. Your uncle, Brendan and….” She paused, hesitating as she stared back at me. “And Arthas.”

“The Unseelie Ancient? He’s in eternal slumber, and my uncle is dead. I cannot ask either one anything.”

“Not the answer you were seeking, was it half-blood? There are many mysteries in this world. Your blood contains mine, yes, but it also is dirtied with that of humans and… one other.”

My eyes widened. What?

“Think about it, my dear. How do you think Aveta could give you magical control of The Withering Palace while I could not control it myself? Such power cannot be controlled by just any Ancient of Faerie. Only those of Unseelie power and lineage can control it. Those of the Unseelie bloodline.”

I shook my head, but the room was spinning. Gasping, I brought my hands to my head, bending in agony and taking in her words. No, this couldn’t be.

Nearly a minute passed as the room rippled with gasps and whispers.

“So I’m Arthas’s descendant as well? Is that what you’re getting at?” I ground my teeth, making my jaw ache.

Kilara’s eyes twinkled. “Exactly.”

“Aveta knew this, didn’t she? She knew I was also a descendant of Arthas. Did he know too?”

“I don’t know. Nor do I know how she found out, but yes, she knew. That insolent woman was smarter than anyone could’ve predicted. Why do you think I was never able to defeat her? Like you, I can’t control her, for she is Arthas’s descendant. Not mine. It makes you… unusual as well.”

My heart beat in my chest like a hummingbird, but Kilara looked like she was already growing bored of our audience. I had to get the right information out of her quickly, before she disappeared again.

“Fine. I’ll figure it out with Arthas and Brendan… somehow. If you could at least give me any more information about The Heart of Fire and Ice, that would help.”

Kilara glanced down at her nails. “Must I hold your hand every step of the way? Go check your uncle’s trunks. He is the only one who’s been there in recent memory. How a human elemental warlock found the place is a wonder, but it’s his power which seals it.” She glared at Benton. “Study your uncle’s his journals. They should lead you to it and tell you how to enter. I’ve wasted enough of my time on this. Find it for me.”

“And if I refuse?” I jutted out my chin, holding my ground. I’d had enough of her assumptions that I would do as she wished at any time. I was done being a pawn, especially in a game that sucked in not only me but my brother as well.

Kilara’s brown eyes hovered over me, madness and sickness turning them red. For the first time, I took a long, hard look at her, straining to keep my powers from slipping out of control as I examined her magic. I wondered if I could take her on. Would I be strong enough?

Just breathe.

Kilara’s lips pulled into a wicked smile. “I see you need incentive. Very well.” She eyed me up and down, assessing me, pulling apart all my flaws in one glance. She flicked her eyes to my family standing beside me, let her smile widen, and then lifted her arm and pointed a slender finger at me. “If you do not obey me, your... your new husband will become my servant. Forevermore.”

A shocked, unified gasp swept through the crowd.

“How dare you threaten my family?” I snapped.

“Would you like me to add to the list of people I can hurt, Your Majesty?”

Mocking me wasn’t the way to get on my good side but, I swallowed back the acidic words I wanted to toss her way. She could add anything and anyone to her curse. Anything and anyone at all. I couldn’t allow her to go any further.

“No. That won’t be necessary.” I backed away, swallowing my pride. My tongue refused to unglue itself from the roof of my mouth as I took my seat again and breathed in a deep, centering breath. “I will find what you seek, just leave my family out of it.”

Kilara snickered, gloating in her victory. “Yes, that’s what I wanted to hear. Do this. Succeed, and Rylan remains at your side. Fail me, and you condemn your lover forever. Do not flounder, Shade. You have no choice.”

Her laughter rang out as she disappeared into the crowd, leaving all stunned and crying in her wake.