by Dyan Chick
One thing at a time, though. If I were an evil dark Fae with a whole army of monsters, where would I hide a human girl I didn’t view as a threat?
My first thought was some kind of dungeon, but Amala struck me as overconfident. She wasn’t concerned about Rose escaping and she wasn’t concerned about me finding a way out of here.
“Rose?” I called again.
No response.
I jumped over the fire circling the throne and walked up to it. When I was queen, I wasn’t going to sit on a throne. I wanted to sit at the table with everyone else. Being so isolated from all the others present had to be difficult.
I stared at the throne. It looked like it was made out of iron, which I had learned the hard way how painful it was for Fae. Were Dark Fae immune? Every instinct inside was screaming for me to sit on the throne. Internally, I fought it, not wanting to sit in the same place where Amala had hatched her plans.
Hands shaking, I approached the throne. I couldn’t afford to overthink things or ignore my intuition. It was all I had here.
Holding my breath, I sat down in the chair. Then, I stretched my hands out on the armrests. Thankfully, the chair didn’t seem to be made of iron, which probably meant that it had the same effect on them.
I ran my fingers over the armrest, feeling the sculptural details of the metal. Then, I found a button. Without question, I pressed it.
The throne dropped into a hole and I swallowed a scream as I plunged into the dark.
Gripping the armrests, I held on as tight as I could as the throne continued to drop into the ground. My hair whipped around my face, blocking my vision as we continued to plummet.
Finally, the chair came to a stop, throwing me from it. I rolled as I landed, preventing my head from slamming into the hard ground.
Dizzy and unsteady, I rose to my feet, immediately on guard. I was in a new chamber under the throne room. It was colder in here, but there were torches lit on the walls. My new space was wide and open. To my right, there was a tunnel and above me I could still see the hole the throne had dropped through.
I had a feeling I could ride the throne back up to where I started but I needed to find Rose, and this was as good a place as any.
Quietly, I crept to the tunnel and peeked around. Two griffins stood in front of a long hallway lined with bars.
I ducked back behind the wall and thanked my stars they hadn’t come to investigate the sound as I’d fallen in the throne.
It was clear the monsters were guarding the hall and the fact that there were bars sent a flutter of hope through me. If I’d found the dungeon, I might have found Rose. Maybe Amala was hiding her there.
The problem was, how was I going to get past two griffins with no weapons? How did one kill a griffin in the first place? I tried to think back to my last encounter with Tiana, but everything was such a blur I couldn’t pinpoint the details. My mind was drawing a blank.
I had to get them away from the cells. Killing them wasn’t necessary if I could get in and get out with Rose. I needed a distraction.
I peeked around again and noticed that both griffins were lifting their beaks into the air and looking around. Narrowing my eyes, I studied them. They almost looked like they were sniffing.
Heart pounding, I ducked fully behind the wall again. Could they smell me?
I took a deep breath in and noticed the faint smell of something sweet. Then I remembered I had the small bag of provisions that Jaya gave me tied at my waist. I hadn’t even looked in the bag.
On tip-toe, I moved a few steps away from the tunnel and quietly removed the bag. When I opened it, I found several pieces of smashed fruit. There was also a small metal object.
I picked up the object, turning it over in my hands. For the first time since starting this trial, hope fluttered into my chest. I tugged on one piece of metal and a blade came out. It was small but sharp. It wasn’t much of a weapon, but it was something. I mouthed a silent thank you to Jaya and closed the knife before closing my fingers around it. I would keep this very close to me.
With the open bag of squished fruit, I moved back to the edge of the tunnel. The creatures were still lifting their beaks into the air expectantly. I glanced down at the fruit. Was that what they were after?
Calling my autumn magic, I attempted to camouflage myself. I could feel my magic spiking, humming as it worked its way through me. When I looked down at my hands, they still seemed to be my normal hands. Hoping it camouflaged me to anyone else who saw me, I held my breath and then tossed the bag in front of the griffins.
Both griffins ran to the fruit, quickly abandoning their post. The creatures nosed into the bag, snapping at each other as they both fought for the spoils.
Running on my toes, I raced past them, maintaining my attempt at blending in as I did.
I could hear the screeches, flapping wings and sound of claws on stone as I reached the hallway lined with bars.
As I hoped, they were cells and many of them were full. Frowning, I continued as quietly as possible while looking at the forlorn Fae in the cages.
Most of them had the blue-tinted skin of the Dark Fae, but there were a few with gold skin, pink skin, or green skin. Amala’s dungeon had all types of Fae. Why was she keeping them all here?
I glanced ahead and noticed that the row of cells culminated in a dead end. The only way out was back past the griffins I’d distracted. Shaking my head at my short-sightedness, I tried to ignore the unease sinking inside me. I’d have to figure out how to get past them later. Right now, my focus was finding Rose.
There were only a couple of cells left. What if I’d been wrong? What if Rose wasn’t here?
I stopped in front of the last cell and looked to my left. It was empty. I turned to my right and saw a figure curled up in a ball in the back of the cell.
Moving closer, I could make out her dirty, matted blonde hair. Her usually pristine curls were a mess of frizz and knots. Her legs were bare, covered with scratches and dirt. She wore a pale blue dress of a thin fabric that was not warm enough for a human in this cool underground dungeon. It reminded me of the clothing the servants wore in Faerie.
I should have realized Amala would clothe her like a servant. I wondered if that was her plan for Rose if she eliminated me and gained the throne. She certainly had a poor view of humans. Whatever her intentions, they were not good.
Her chest rose and fell slowly but she wasn’t aware of my presence. At least she was sleeping in here. I hoped that meant she had avoided some fear she must be experiencing.
I focused on the bars, wondering how to get her out. Reaching out, I touched my index finger to one of the bars. My finger instantly felt like it was burning. I moved my hand away quickly.
Of course, it was iron. How else would someone trap so many Fae? The cell didn’t have an obvious keyhole so there had to be another way out. Maybe there was a lever or a switch that controlled the cells. Tightening my jaw, I turned back to the way I’d come. I had to get rid of the griffins so I could see what they were guarding. They weren’t worried about the prisoners, so there had to be something near them instead.
I didn’t enjoy killing monsters, but the knife in my hand might be my only way of getting Rose out of here. Maintaining what I hoped was a complete camouflage, I quietly walked toward the monsters. They were sitting now, using their pink tongues to clean their paws after devouring all the fruit.
Behind them, I noticed a chain hanging from the ceiling. Hoping it was the keys, I moved quicker toward it. If I could unlock it without them noticing, I might not have to fight off two of them with a small knife. I needed some serious luck right now.
As I got closer, my confidence waned. The chain I was hoping held keys was just a chain with nothing attached. Still, something was telling me it was important. Unable to shake the value of reaching the chain, I tightened my grip on the knife, blade at the ready. I wasn’t sure what would happen once I pulled on it, but I was hoping it would help.
I cou
ld feel the body heat of the griffin as I inched around it. The creature snorted and shook its head before going back to grooming. Watching the giant eagle head and beak displaying feline grooming qualities was very odd. I shook my head and turned away from the beast, hoping it didn’t sense me standing right next to it.
My whole body was tense, and I reached up to pull on the chain. Holding my breath, I pulled. Then waited.
At first, nothing happened. I backed away from the griffins and counted to ten.
Just when I was about to consider the chain a dead end, I heard doors swinging open on the hinges. Looking behind me, I noticed that it wasn’t just Rose’s door that opened, all the doors had opened.
The griffins stood and turned toward their charges. As the doors swung open, the creatures let out a shriek. The monster nearest me spread its wings wide, smacking me in the face with its feathers.
I coughed and ducked out of the way just as the eagle head turned its eyes on me. The beak snapped at my face, nearly making contact.
I cried out as I dropped to my hands and knees and crawled away. The beasts were on to me and I could hear their talons scrambling across the stone right behind me.
Suddenly, I was surrounded by feet as the captured Fae fled their cells. The commotion distracted the griffins. Narrowly avoiding a knee to the face, I stood and ran the opposite direction of the released captives toward Rose’s cell.
Chapter Twenty-Four
In the dim light of the dungeon, it was hard to make out the details of the individual Fae as they raced past me. Rose’s pale hair stood out like a beacon.
She was standing just outside her cell, arms wrapped protectively over her chest as she watched the chaos with wide eyes.
My throat stung as I swallowed back tears. She shouldn’t be here. She shouldn’t be mixed up with the Fae and she shouldn’t have followed me.
Rose stared at me, unmoving. For a second, I lost track of what I was doing and stared back at her. Then, I remembered where we were and what I was doing.
“Come on,” I said, extending my hand toward her.
She hesitated for a moment then grabbed hold.
I took off through the mess of released Fae, squeezing my hand around Rose’s, terrified I’d lose her. Several of the escaped Fae surrounded the griffins, pinning them in place. I didn’t even want to think about how badly this could have gone.
As I cut through the crowd, a few of the Fae cheered for me. One griffin pushed its way through, nearly grabbing me with its claws. Two green skinned Fae with antlers pushed me out of the way, distracting the griffin so I could flee.
“Run,” one of them said. “We’ll take care of them.”
A battle cry sounded behind us as Rose and I raced back to the throne. It was still waiting where I’d left it. I pushed her onto the chair and squeezed in next to her. Then, I ran my fingers along the sides, trying to find anything that gave my intuition a jolt. Finding a button, I pressed it without question.
The throne sprung to life, shooting us up through the hole in the ceiling. Rose screamed, and I grabbed her tight, keeping her pressed against the back of the throne. I had no way of knowing where this ride would end.
The room I’d arrived in passed us by in a flash and the throne continued skyward. Another opening appeared above us and we broke through the void into a new chamber. How big was this place?
Finally, the chair came to a stop. Slowly, I let go of Rose and looked around. We were in another large cavern, though this one was lit similarly to the way the dungeons were lit with glowing torches along the wall. Nearby, I saw a massive table covered in what looked like a map.
I hopped off the throne and did a quick visual sweep of the room before moving around it to check for any threats. We were alone. For now.
“What’s this?” Rose asked.
I looked over to where she was standing near the huge table. Unsure of what exactly it was, I walked over to it. It only took a second to realize that the map of Faerie covered in figurines of monsters was a battle plan. “She’s going to attack Faerie.”
“This is Faerie?” Rose asked. “Aren’t we in Faerie?”
I shook my head. “We’re in the Under. It’s another realm. It’s nothing like Faerie but I think she wants it to be the same. It looks like she’s bringing all her monsters through.” I pointed to several black circular disks set around the map. “I think these are tears she’s created to bring the monsters through.”
I found the palace and looked for the cave I’d come from. It was circled in black ink. And one of the black disks was on top of it. “This is where I came in.”
“Why did you come for me?” Rose asked.
Confused, I blinked at her a few times. “Why did you come for me?”
“Father said the Fae stole you away. I had to try,” she said.
“Oh, Rose.” Of all the stories I thought my human father would come up with, saying that the Fae took me was the last thing I thought he’d do. I should have known, it was the story that made him look the best, would even give him sympathy and possibly more supporters.
“I wasn’t taken,” I said. “Well. not exactly. I belong here, Rose.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“I’ve always been Fae, raised as a human.” I waited for her disgust, her heartbreak, or fear. None came.
“Cassia, why do you think Nani always told us those Faerie stories?” she asked. “Once I found out the Fae were real, I had a feeling all her stories were real too. Which meant they can’t all be bad, right?” She laughed. “I honestly thought I’d come here and ask for your life in exchange for something. I never considered what I would offer. I just wanted you to be safe.”
For someone who had spent the last few days in a cell as a prisoner, she was taking this very well. “I’m so sorry I brought you into all of this.”
She looked down at her feet, brow creased as she frowned.
“What is it?” I asked.
She looked back up. “They wanted me to marry that man. Can you believe it? He tried to claim me the night you left. I punched him in the eye.”
I smiled. “Good. I hope you left a mark.”
“I did,” she said.
All these years, I’d focused so much on how different the two of us were instead of looking for all the things we had in common. “In a weird way, I’m glad you’re here. But we can’t stay. We’ve got a war to stop.”
“How do we get out of this place?” she asked.
“I’m not sure, but there has to be a way.” Amala’s threats had to be to scare me, right? Somehow, she brought Rose here safely. How would I get her out?
I walked away from the table toward the large wooden door at the other end of the room. Carefully, I tugged it open and peeked outside. The hall beyond was empty as far as I could see. The whole place seemed to be a ghost town. They were probably all in Faerie trying to overthrow the kingdom. That had to explain why nobody had rushed to help the poor excuse of a guard that the griffins were.
“Come on,” I called to Rose. “We need to find one of the tears. Then we can travel back to Faerie.”
Rose looked pale. She’d handled the first part of this so well, feigning strength. I probably didn’t have much time until everything hit her fully. I had to get her out of here and somewhere safe before she threw up. Or worse.
I walked back over to Rose. “I know this is a lot, but you can do this. I’m going to get us through this.”
She nodded, the false confidence returning.
Not wasting time, I grabbed her hand and led her into the hallway.
The dim torchlight flickered as we walked, creating shadows on every wall. My whole body felt like a spring that was wound and ready to explode. This had been too easy so far. What if Amala’s threats were valid? If it was as difficult as she claimed to leave, she would have nothing to worry about. I couldn’t even slide yet. I was dependent on finding a tear and using it to get back.
We passed several
closed doors, but I was relying on my intuition, telling myself to feel for any sign of the dark magic that created the tears. So far, I wasn’t getting anything; though, I hadn’t felt it last time, either. What if I couldn’t feel them? How would I know?
Rose stopped walking. I turned to look at her. “We have to keep moving.”
She shivered, and her eyes went from me to one of the closed doors. “There’s something evil there.”
“Beyond the door?” I asked.
She nodded.
Brow furrowed, I moved closer to the door then pressed my ear against it. I couldn’t hear anything. I removed my ear. “I don’t hear anything.”
“It’s probably just this place,” she said. “Sometimes I get these feelings. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
I considered moving on for a moment. After all, Rose was human, how could she sense magic? I looked back at the door. I felt nothing. No flicker of magic, no humming energy. Not even a chill.
“Come on,” Rose said. “Let’s go.”
“No,” I said. “Let’s check in here.”
“It’s fine, we don’t need to,” Rose said.
“I’ve learned that instincts are important while I’ve been here,” I said. “Trusting yourself is the best thing you can do. They always taught us to defer to others. Our father, our family, and eventually, our husbands. But we know ourselves better than anyone. We can’t ignore it.”
She nodded. “Alright, let’s check.”
I let go of Rose’s hand and the two of us stood in front of the door silently as she reached for the handle.
As she turned it, I called to my magic, letting it flow through me, ready to throw up a shield if needed.
Rose opened the door wide enough for us to peek inside then looked at me. I didn’t see anything, so I nodded to her and she opened it wider.
The room was dark but in the back corner, I saw the familiar glowing ring of a tear. Relief flooded through me at the sight of our ticket home.
“Go in, but don’t touch the tear,” I said.
“That glowing thing?” Rose asked.
