Chapter Fifteen

 

 

 

Dylan

“Do you know why I called you here, Dylan?”

I peered up at Queen Gretel, the ancient yet beautiful ruler of the Teleen. Unfortunately, the rumors were true; she had chosen to wither and die.

“No, My Queen. I apologize, but I don’t know why you called me here. Does it have anything to do with finding your successor?”

Queen Gretel shook her head as she eyed me up and down with curiosity. I knew she could sense the sadness filling my soul. “Faerie is dying. Can you not feel it?”

“No.” I shook my head, stunned by her words. “What do you mean?”

Queen Gretel closed her eyes and placed a hand over them as though she was exhausted. The beginnings of her slow withering were taking hold. In a matter of days, she’d be dead by her choice. I hoped she choose her successor before that, or the war for the crown could cause rifts wider than the crevasses inside the Teleen Caverns.

“Our land, our magic, it’s all affected by so many things—the unbalance of nature, the deaths of our loved ones, the shift of the human realm, and, of course magic.” Her eyes opened, and she watched me as I tried to comprehend what she was saying. “The land is also rooted to the Ancients. They are the physical embodiment of Faerie. They are immortal but still fragile in many ways, and they are not at all immune to the upheavals of the world. Things seeking to destroy us… them, and all of Faerie… they are here. The Ancients are plagued. Cursed. If one of them dies, our land withers. If they cannot remain constant, our borders and wards will fail. Our powers will die. Everything we are will disappear. We are of magic, connected to the human realm forever, but our Ancients are the pillars of all that is around us. Without the four points of power, we will fall, as will the human realm. Everything will be dragged down into an all-consuming darkness. Do you understand?”

I shook my head, more confused than ever before. I understood her words, but they didn’t seem real to me. The Ancients were important, yes, but how could the entire world fall without them? There were other powerful beings in Faerie. If the Ancients were dying, couldn’t one of them hold things together? A shiver ran down my spine as the realization came to me.

“You’re talking about Shade. Somehow this has something to do with her, doesn’t it?”

Queen Gretel settled back into her throne, and I thought I heard her bones creak. Her glamour was holding, but just barely, and her true self was slipping through now and then. She looked older and more tired than I’d ever seen her.

“I believe Shade is the key to solving this. At least one of them. You see, Faerie and its magic are ancient; it’s of the old world, from before. The modern era changed everything. There is no longer violence between fey and human. Not deliberately. But Shade and people like her, of magic and of the modern world, are the ones I believe can save us.”

“But how? What does she have to do?”

“If I knew, Dylan, I would tell you. I would. There are things the Land of Faerie won’t even tell us, the rulers. These things are meant only for Ancients and those with the heart to save us all. Shade must find a way to end this withering. I am sure she will, and you will help her when the time comes. In the meantime, the contest for my successor begins. I know you will help choose the right faery to lead the Teleen.”

She closed her eyes and rested her head on the back of the chair as I digested her words. She’d just laid a great responsibility at my feet, and my mind raced as I considered the possibilities running rampant through my mind.

“How do you know I’ll choose the right ruler?” I asked

“I just know. That is all you need. Go now; I’m exhausted. The withering has already begun to take hold, and within a few days’ time, I will be gone. You’ll pick the right person, for the one I would have chosen cannot take the crown as they are. Once the chosen is crowned, the fate of the Teleen will rest in his or her hands. Choose well.”

Her steel grey eyes dug into me, emphasizing the meaning of the words. I knew she had meant to crown me ruler of Teleen, but it was a position that would never be mine. Not unless I divorce Shade. Gretel meant for me to know that. Instead, she had decided I would have to choose the successor myself.

It was a hard fact to swallow. Tempting too.

No. I was already a king, a ruler, but not in the caverns. I was one of the rulers of The Scren Palace. I was Shade’s king, even though she now ruled with another at her side. It did not make my position any less important nor did it affect the responsibilities I had to my kingdom and to the Land of Faerie.

I would complete the task Gretel had assigned me, a new Teleen ruler would be chosen, and the clan would continue on without Queen Gretel.

I straightened, feeling my determination return.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will do everything in my power to make sure the Teleen clan is ruled by the most suitable candidate.” I bowed, turned, and walked out of the throne room.

I didn’t feel any lighter than I had before, but a renewed purpose now drove me. I would do as Gretel had asked, but I didn’t know where to start. Who would be good enough to replace Gretel? No one fit the bill as it stood, and I was going to have to dig deeper to find the right one.

“How was your meeting with our queen?”

Sylphi appeared before as I rounded a bend in the corridor. She seemed to always be right on my periphery, and I wasn’t sure if I should admire her skills at locating me or be concerned that I had a stalker.

“It’s a private matter. I’m not allowed to discuss it with you.”

The scowl on her face elated me, a fact I also found disturbing. In a sadistic way, I enjoyed making her angry. It reminded me of why I’d liked her company so much ages ago. She and I were a toxic mix of volatile energy, feeding itself with unrelenting suffering.

“That’s fine. I didn’t really expect you to tell me much. I came to ask you for some advice. You were christened with your father’s memories, correct? Didn’t he help Gretel win the crown centuries ago?” I nodded, wondering what she was getting at. “Would you be a gentleman and let me study his methods?”

I shook my head. “I don’t have time for that.”

“Time is but what you make of it.” She stepped forward and ran her hand across my chest and down my arm. It did nothing for me emotionally, but it still caused my skin to flare into unintentional goosebumps.

This was insane. Any time spent with Sylphi was never logical. Plus, I really didn’t have any time for her at all, and I was no less of a man to realize such a thing. She just never could take the obvious hint, and I was tired of stringing her along.

At least I was at that moment. I watched her circle around me like a tiger admiring its prey, waiting for the right moment to strike. She was vicious, but she wasn’t my enemy. Nor was she anything I needed right now. Still, I was never one to waste a resource when it was batting its eyelashes at me, especially since Sylphi was probably the strongest candidate to win the crown of Teleen.

I could help her and make her my queen if I really wanted to. I could coax her into doing anything I wished. Our relationship had not been treacherously one-sided; we’d had a silent compromise to boost each other with every move we made, even when my dislike of her old methods had severed our relationship. I had to admit, my previous co-dependence with her was a hard habit to break.

Now she’d fallen into my lap, and it was as good a time as any to smooth things over with her and get what I wanted out of this partnership too.

“All right. You know what? I need to apologize to you, Sylphi. I’ll help you gain ground over the competition for the crown, but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow. I’ve got some thinking to do. How about a raincheck?”

Her smile returned, momentarily satisfied with my answer. “I’ll come see you at the break of dawn—your quarters. I won’t even mind if you don’t feel like getting out of bed that early.”

With a wink, she waved goodbye and made her way into the throne room, her long gown trailing behind her. As I watched her teasingly sashay past me, I hoped she didn’t bother Gretel with much; that girl was unbearable at times. Shaking my head and exhaling a long, thoughtful breath, I spun on my feet and headed down the cavern hall to my quarters.

Sylphi was good figuring things out and gaining power when it mattered. Pissing her off wasn’t a good idea, especially since the fate of Faerie might partially depend on what I did in the next few days or weeks. Still, I knew I was but a small part of it. The situation was really in someone else’s hands—someone I loved dearly and hadn’t seen in days, even though it’d been my decision to cut her off for the moment.

I’d use Sylphi to win back Shade. It wasn’t ideal, and I searched my feelings to make sure I wasn’t letting my emotions overcome my reason, but I truly felt in my heart that Sylphi was the best person to rule the Teleen. I might as well get something out of helping her to the throne, and I knew it was a deal she wouldn’t be able to refuse… not if she wanted to be queen.