Strength

by W. J. May

  He turned around with a chuckle, deepening the creases around his eyes. “If that impetuous young fae truly is the High Priest of the Kreo, then I can only imagine who you might be. I can scarcely remember hearing a story from the High Kingdom without the both of you in it together.”

  She blushed immediately, cringing at what stories he might have heard. “You’ve done so much for us already, I’m sorry to ask for something more.” Her eyes lifted slowly, staring back at him. “But I was wondering—”

  “You were wondering about the shipwreck,” he answered plainly.

  Her mouth fell open in astonishment.

  “How did you...”

  For such a squat old man, he drew himself up to an impressive height.

  “My dear, you are looking at one of the last chiefs of the Kreo. A people bound by magic and blessed with such power so as to challenge the heavens and lay waste to the minds of men.”

  She blinked.

  “...Eli told me.”

  Oh, that makes sense.

  “You’ll probably think it doesn’t matter,” she said quietly. “The ship sank, what’s done is done. But there are things I need to remember. Answers I need.”

  The chief stared at her in silence. She could have sworn the bat fluttered a wing. Then he leaned towards her with a conspiratorial smile.

  “My dear...you would have made a fine Kreo yourself.”

  She let out a breath, brightening with a smile.

  “So you’ll help me?” she asked eagerly. “I heard there were things you could do to help restore one’s memory. My Aunt Tanya said there were spells and potions—”

  He held up a hand, nodding all the while. “Yes, we have ways of unlocking the mind. Come to my cabin at sundown—we’ll work it out then.” He raised his voice, glancing back to where Ellanden was pretending not to watch them from the corner of his eye. “You’re welcome to come as well, Your Highness.”

  Ellanden’s spine stiffened as he turned away. “I’m fine without your voodoo spells, thanks.”

  Rone walked away with a chuckle, leaving the friends behind. “You might learn something...”

  THE REST OF THE DAY passed with excruciating slowness, each hour dragging on longer than the last. Not one of the friends was immune, and by the time the sun finally began to slip towards the jungle tempers were running at an all-time high.

  Freya was sad to be leaving the witches, Seth and Cosette were giving each other a wide berth. Evie and Asher were both doing their best not to look at each other, and Ellanden was sitting between them—staring in silence at a pair of young warlocks practicing magic on the lawn.

  They had been going at it for almost an hour, the palms of their hands glowing every so often as they recited a chant or spell. It went on in quiet repetition, until all at once a shimmer of light passed between them triumphantly. Ellanden leaned back, a strange expression on his face.

  Asher gave him a nudge. “You want to go join them?”

  The fae shot him a look, but kept silent. He had been doing his best to scorn the vampire on Evie’s behalf, but when it became clear that she had no intention of holding a grudge he began to tire of the notion himself. At any rate, there were other things on his mind.

  “You’re not just Fae,” Asher coaxed quietly. “You’re also Kreo.”

  The prince shifted uncomfortably, gazing out at his unwitting subjects. It wasn’t simply that he didn’t like to talk about it, he just didn’t seem to know what to make of it himself. It was a pairing of contradictions. The cool refinement of the Fae, and the fiery chaos of his mother’s tribe. When he was just a young child, he’d chosen a side. But it was impossible to fully repress the other.

  “They’re not even a people,” he muttered. “They’re just...a mix of everything.”

  “Like you,” Asher said gently.

  “Really?” the fae shot back. “You want to get into that? The merits of cultural pride?”

  The vampire dropped his gaze, giving the sword he was holding another twirl.

  Earlier that morning, as he was wandering despondently away from the princess, Rone had summoned him unexpectedly and sat down for a chat. He’d apologized again for the attack on the beach, but tried to put it into perspective. The Kreo had been terrorized by vampires for the better part of a decade. It was one of the reasons the camp was hidden—they’d learned to kill them on sight.

  It was a guilt that Asher felt heavily, but it was secretly matched by Ellanden.

  Staring around the little camp, it was impossible to deny that each person was united by something more than just magic...they were refugees.

  When the three friends had run away from the royal caravan, they’d set into motion a series of events that the fates themselves couldn’t have predicted. A decade-long search, a decade-long decline. A decade without the leadership and protection necessary to hold the realm together.

  These people had needed a prince. And now he was leaving again.

  “We can come back,” Cosette murmured, reading his thoughts. “Of all the people who will benefit from what we’re trying to do—these have the most to gain. Once we’ve completed our mission, you can come back and tell them what happened in person.”

  “Who knows,” Seth added cheerfully, “you might even want to stay.” Ellanden lifted his eyes slowly and he flashed a friendly smile. “You’d look great in one of those bat-crowns.”

  The rest of the day passed in similar fashion. Trying to ignore each other, trying to remember what had happened, trying not to think of everything yet to come.

  There were many steps to get through first, but the one thing the friends weren’t talking about was the ship. Not the one they’d sunk. The one they now needed.

  As it stood, warships were in short supply. They could try to barter passage on a merchant vessel, but they’d have a hard time trying to convince a captain to take them towards the Dunes. As if the destination wasn’t enough, there was the voyage itself. Everything they’d acquired had been lost when the ship vanished into the sea. Their weapons, their clothes, their coin...

  They were gearing up for a dangerous adventure without anything more than the clothes on their backs. The most they could expect from the village was a generous supply of henna.

  “Is it that time again?” Cosette said suddenly, lifting her head in surprise.

  The grassy clearing, which had been deserted for the better part of the day, was suddenly awash with activity. People were flooding in from all corners, setting up for the nightly feast.

  Evie’s eyes strayed to a pair of half-dressed shifters as they began to light the fire. If she’d thought the village was putting on a show in honor of their arrival, she was clearly mistaken. The Kreo put on a spectacle every day of the week.

  Even Seth, who’d grown up in a pack of shifters and was effectively immune to nudity, found himself struck speechless—lowering his eyes quickly when a pair of witches sashayed past.

  “You’re right,” Ellanden said suddenly as a lovely nymph flashed a seductive smile. “This place looks fine to me.” He headed off without a backwards glance. “See you guys at dinner.”

  The rest of them stared after him in surprise as he met the woman across the clearing. They spoke for only a moment before she laced her fingers through his, leading him off into the trees.

  “Unbelievable,” Cosette muttered, shaking her head.

  “Can you blame him?” Asher grinned, recycling Freya’s favorite joke. “It’s been ten years.”

  But for once the witch wasn’t laughing.

  “That’s not funny,” she snapped, pushing to her feet.

  Cosette followed immediately after her, throwing the vampire a punishing look over her shoulder. Seth pushed to his feet as well, casting a final glance at Ellanden.

  “I’d find that shape-shifter first...just to be sure.”

  Evie laughed under her breath, then froze in a sudden panic when she realized who the only other person left sitting at the table was.
Asher realized it at the same time as she did herself, tensing automatically before throwing her a quick glance from the corner of his eye.

  Thus far, they’d done a magnificent job of avoiding one another—especially considering they’d been sitting less than ten feet away. With a table of friends to separate them, a village of people to distract them, and an apocalyptic prophecy to motivate them, it had been possible to compartmentalize their break-up as a problem for another day. Not easy, but possible.

  Now...there wasn’t a chance.

  “Can we talk?”

  Evie jumped in surprise, glancing over at him.

  Well that’s a terrible way to start.

  “Uh...I should actually...” She trailed off, wracking her brain for something to say. “I should probably get to the...”

  I’m stranded in the middle of the jungle. Where exactly am I supposed to go?

  Asher stared at her a moment, then his shoulders bowed in a quiet sigh. “Evie...please. Can we talk?”

  This time, she held his gaze—biting her lip almost angrily as they stared across the table. It went on for a few moments then she pushed abruptly to her feet, heading swiftly into the jungle.

  He pushed tentatively to his feet, staring after her.

  “...is that a yes?”

  She cocked her head and he quickly followed her, vanishing into the trees.

  THE PRINCESS AND THE vampire wandered around for a while, both unsure where they wanted to end up. Her room was most likely occupied by a scowling witch and a vengeful fae. But the last time they were in his room...things hadn’t ended very well.

  At last, they came to a sort of compromise, coming to a stop at a random viewpoint cut halfway up the abandoned tree. They glanced just once at the blazing sunset before averting their eyes. Asher cocked his head awkwardly at the bench, and they both took a seat.

  At least it’s treacherously high, she thought miserably. If things start going wrong, I can just jump—

  “I want to apologize,” Asher said quietly.

  She whirled around to face him, but he kept his eyes on the trees.

  “All day I’ve been replaying what happened,” he admitted, “and it occurred to me that I phrased things in a way that made it seem like you were to blame.”

  Her lips parted, but she said nothing. He sounded oddly rehearsed.

  “I was to blame,” he concluded softly. “Every bit of fault lies with me.”

  The princess flinched like he’d struck her. Her eyes prickled with secret tears. “Would you stop—”

  “No, Evie, it’s important that you understand this.” He finally turned towards her, gazing directly into her eyes. “This was my mistake—not yours. Thinking that something like this was possible, not recognizing the damage it would do from the start... You had no way of predicting such a thing, but I should have known better. If I could take it back, I swear that I would—”

  “Would you stop!” she cried again, sliding away from him on the bench. “Are you not listening to yourself? Do you not realize the way this sounds?”

  He stared back incredulously and she shook her head, wiping away furious tears.

  “I was about to have sex with you, Asher. That might not register much with you, but it means a heck of a lot to me. It was going to be my first time. And I wanted it to be with you.”

  She sucked in a quick breath, almost unable to finish.

  “And you wish you could take the whole thing back?”

  He held up his hands quickly, closing his eyes.

  “That’s not what I meant. There’s nothing that I...” He trailed off, trying to think of a way to phrase it. “Evie, you have no idea how much I wanted that, too, but—”

  “But what?” she demanded. “But now it was just a mistake?”

  “But now it hurt you!” he shouted, finally raising his voice. “A moment like that...and it hurt you, Everly. Not because of anything you did, but because of me. Because of what I am!”

  “You didn’t do anything wrong,” she insisted, breathing so quickly she was beginning to feel light in the head. “I was...I was startled by the blood. But that doesn’t mean—”

  “It doesn’t mean what?” He put his hands on her shoulders, staring at her straight on. “It doesn’t mean that I’m some kind of monster? The one who attacked Ellanden, the same one who attacked you in that cave? I’ll never be able to take back those moments, Evie. And then last night, the one time you needed to trust me the most...”

  He looked away quickly, shivering as the last of the sunlight vanished in the trees.

  “It was different when we were at the palace,” he breathed. “I wasn’t a vampire, you weren’t a shifter, and Ellanden wasn’t a fae. We were just kids. We were just people. But out here...?”

  A look of physical pain flashed across his face.

  “You cried when I reached for you. You pulled away from me on the bed. And you were right to do so. What those witches tried to do on the beach...they were right. There’s a reason my people are reviled and feared. There’s a reason we don’t get to love people like you.”

  A ringing silence fell between them.

  Then Evie’s face whitened in shock.

  In hindsight, she’d never understand the timing. She’d never know why it took him condemning himself to darkness in order for her to see the light.

  But in the midst of all those shadows, the truth was suddenly clear to see.

  He might have been born a vampire. She might have been born the daughter of a king. They might have been sailing off on some ill-fated adventure, and if the prophecy was right there was a good chance one of them wasn’t coming back.

  But none of that mattered.

  Because she was in love with him.

  “I love you, too.”

  He blinked quickly, then shook his head.

  “...what?”

  She pushed abruptly to her feet.

  “We should get to the feast.”

  She was off a moment later, winding her way down the rickety rope-bridges that clung to the sides of the trees. He hesitated a split second, staring in a delayed kind of shock, then he rushed after her—blurring to her side with a rush of vampiric speed.

  “I don’t understand what just happened—”

  “That must be frustrating.”

  “I thought you said we could talk—”

  “We did.”

  He started to speak again, but she turned around suddenly—lifting a finger to his lips. He shivered the moment they touched, staring down at her with wide, dilated eyes.

  “We did talk,” she said again, staring up with a little smile. “And it was a good talk, Ash.”

  She continued walking a moment later, leaving him standing in complete bewilderment on the swaying steps. It wasn’t the best timing for such a revelation—the moment their relationship had come to an abrupt end—but somehow, she wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Because somehow, it was only the beginning. The vampire just didn’t realize it yet.

  That little smile stayed with her, lighting her face as she headed into the dark.

  A really good talk...

  THE PRINCESS GOT BACK to the clearing just as the feast was getting started. The musicians were tuning their fiddles, the fire was crackling, and scores of witches were heading out from beneath the jungle canopy—balancing platter after platter on their painted arms.

  She lifted her arm when she caught sight of her friends, about to wave them over, when a cool hand closed suddenly over her wrist. She turned around to see Asher standing behind her.

  That look of bewilderment hadn’t gone away. It was getting worse by the second.

  “What?” she asked, almost enjoying herself.

  Since they were children, she and Ellanden had always loved those rare moments when the vampire floundered. Of the three of them, he was always so sure of himself. That quiet composure carried him from moment to moment. It was nearly impossible to catch him off guard.

  La
ndi’s going to be sad he missed this.

  “I’m sorry, I just...what happened back there?” He stared down at her in a complete loss, even more confused by that inexplicable smile. “I was just trying to apologize—”

  “I heard.”

  “I said people like us could never be together—”

  “You did.”

  “And then you said...that you love me, too?”

  She smiled again, immortalizing the priceless image in her mind. “You have summarized it perfectly.”

  He stared intently for a moment, then repeated his original statement. “I don’t understand what’s going on.”

  She let out a quiet breath, staring up into his eyes. “Ash, you can speech-make all you want. You can declare yourself unworthy, and call yourself a monster, and say the witches were really on to something special when they tried to drown you in the sea. But that doesn’t change the fact that I fell in love with you.”

  He froze perfectly still, unable to think of a single reply.

  “Like I said...it was a good talk.”

  She left without another word, joining the others at the edge of the clearing. One of their members was still missing, but judging by the look on Freya’s face they’d just found him.

  Seven hells.

  The prince was glued at the mouth to the breathtaking nymph they’d seen before. One hand fiddling with the back of her silken gown, the other tangled in her long, wavy hair.

  “Ellanden,” she said loudly, startling him to attention.

  He jerked back in surprise and the nymph let out a little shriek and promptly turned into a tree, shivering agitatedly in the breeze. His eyes snapped shut and he banged his head comically against its branches before turning around with a tight smile to greet his friends.

  “What?”

  “We’re getting some food,” the princess replied with a grin. “You want to come? Or were you and that tree going to do something special?”

  The fae murmured what sounded like an apology before following his friends reluctantly into the clearing, throwing wistful glances over his shoulder every few steps. Asher joined them at the table, still looking like he’d seen a ghost. But no sooner had they sat down than the princess pushed straight back to her feet again, realizing all at once there was something she needed to do.