Guardians of Fire

by Alexia Purdy

  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.

  Chapter Six

  Dylan

  “What’s the rush?”

  Benton nearly jumped into my path, and I veered to avoid my brother-in-law but failed miserably. He may have been shorter than me, but he was wicked fast. I’d been rushing to leave the main throne room, but he caught me before I had the chance to leave. Everyone was still lingering, talking amongst themselves, but I wanted to hightail it out of that suffocating place.

  “Look, Benton, don’t test me. I’m not in the mood.”

  He peered over my shoulder, most definitely eyeing Shade, who was behind me by her throne. “She’s feeling everything you feel. You know that, right?”

  “What’s it to you?” I snapped. He was the last person I ever wanted to get angry with, but he needed to get out of my way.

  “Look,” he sighed as he continued to shift to keep my path blocked. I finally stopped trying to pass him and resorted to glaring sharp knives into him. For a human, he had supernatural strength, speed, and agility. Plus, he had experience fighting Unseelie misfits, while I’d sat on my throne like a lazy sloth for the past year. He could take me down if he had to. “I know things are tense between you and my sister, but you have to realize that she loves you, man. There’s no one like you out there, not even Soap. If you bolt, she’s going to feel it down to her marrow, and I’m not sure either of you want to bear that kind of agony.”

  I cocked my head at him, sneering. “What do you know about love?”

  He shrugged. “I may not know much about love, but I know a lot about pain. Trust me. They aren’t that different.” He reached out and grasped my shoulder. “You love her. Some things aren’t worth losing the people we love over, even if it hurts. You said so yourself, this plural marriage thing is part of your culture. If anyone can live with this situation, it’s you. Just think about it. It’s lose her or adapt. Your call.”

  He tapped my shoulder and headed back into the throne room, keeping an eye out for Kilara who was chatting amongst the Teleen subjects like a celebrity. It was pathetic, really. She’d just told Shade she had to find her some sort of magic that only she could get to. The familiarity of it all made me want to shake my head. History repeated itself far too often. The fact that the Ancient faerie queen stuck around to flaunt her presence before Shade angered me, but I couldn’t let myself care. There was only so much I could take, and watching Shade standing beside her new fiancé, Soap, was pretty much the needle that broke the camel’s back.

  I was done with the charade of being happily married to Shade. It was time to break away for a while to process all these emotions ramming into me with a force that left me completely stunned. I couldn’t be around either of them right now. There was only one thing to do: let her leave for The Scren without me. We hadn’t been apart in months, and I wasn’t looking forward to being without her, but it was the only way we could both breathe right now.

  I turned away when I noticed Shade staring in my direction. I couldn’t let her approach, so I headed out into the dimly lit hallways of the Teleen kingdom where she would not be able to track me down as easily. If I had to run from my wife to keep my distance, then so be it. We all must do the unpleasant things in life to keep what we love. That included leaving the one I loved for the time being.

  “Dylan.” I heard Shade’s voice call out to me, but I ignored it as I made my way down the halls. She repeated it but was cut off like someone had interrupted her on her way out. That worked well for me as I turned down corridors to the hidden places in Teleen she didn’t even know about. One advantage of being a captain of the guard for years was that I knew every inch and corner of the caverns and could walk them in my sleep. Times like these called for extreme measures.

  I rounded a corner and ran right into Nautilus.

  “Hey, man, sorry. Didn’t hear you coming.”

  I dusted off the dirt that had stuck to my shirt from bumping into the wall. “No problem.” I raised an eyebrow. “Wait, aren’t you supposed to be at The Withering Palace with Anna?”

  He grinned, his aqua-grey eyes flashing with a blue fire that indicated he was excited. “I was, but Anna has become a bit homesick for her family. She dragged me out here to visit with Shade and James before they head back south to The Scren. It was closer to the palace here, so….”

  I nodded. “I see. Well, that’s great. How is Anna? I know James and Shade have missed her greatly. Make sure you tell her Benton’s here too.”

  “I will. Great to see you, man. You don’t look so hot though. Coming down with something?”

  “You could say that.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “Shade and Soap are engaged.”

  His brow furrowed. “Oh, wow. I never thought Soap would have the guts to ask her. And she accepted?”

  My anger bubbled to the surface as my face heated. “What, are you going to ask her now too? Might as well, she’s in a generous mood, apparently. Join Shade’s harem, why the hell not?”

  Nautilus gaped. “Whoa, Dylan. It’s not like that. You don’t have to worry about me. I know she’ll never love me like she does you or Soap. You’re both lucky in a way I can only hope for. Besides, I love Anna. I just wish Oran wasn’t a factor. I’m pretty sure Anna would be appalled to marry more than one man and Oran, well, let’s just say he’s not so happy to have me lurking around the U
nseelie palace.” His eyes clouded over as he spoke about Shade’s little sister and the Unseelie commander. Anna and Oran weren’t officially married yet, which was a bit of a mystery, but I could see that Nautilus was hopeful, and it made me wonder if he had anything to do with the extended delay.

  “I’m sorry. It’s just that things have been a bit tense around here.”

  He gave me a nod. “I can see that. Look, man, I’m here if you need an ear. I know what it feels like to love someone who loves someone else.” He shrugged, but I could see the distant hurt lingering in his eyes as he sidestepped and continued past me. I turned to glance once more in his direction and shook my head.

  Nautilus’s words echoed in my head as I heard his footsteps fade. He was another who was not left unaffected by Shade. They had never dated, nor had they ever had any kind of relationship besides Nautilus’s courtship. Though he’d made me wary, I’d never felt as threatened by him as I had by Soap. He had adored Shade and was a contender for her hand in marriage before we’d sealed our vows. He could’ve won, I admit, but in the end, things had not favored him.

  I wondered if his love for Shade burned as brightly as his love for Anna. He’d spoken of the fire elemental witch with a deep fondness. I had to say, he was a good match for her, but she was still just seventeen and probably too young to make an informed choice. Oran or Nautilus…. I frowned. If there was one of the two I hoped she would go for, it would be Nautilus.

  At least someone else was just starting out in this love thing. Sometimes I wished I could go back to the start, when our love was brand new and untainted by the interruptions of others.

  Chapter Seven

  Benton

  “Oh, hell no! Look what the cat dragged in! It’s Anna!”

  I rushed past the entrance of the commons where Anna, Shade, Soap, and a whole lot of Teleen were hanging out after the meeting with Kilara. The Ancient had retired for the evening, which probably meant she’d left the caverns completely. They had no need to rest, so why stick around?

  I reached out and picked up my sister, Anna, swinging her around as she squealed, slapping my chest to put her down.

  “Benton! You drop me and you’re toast. I mean it!”

  Placing her on her feet once more, I gave her a good look, beaming at seeing my little sister again. Her skin gleamed white, an unnatural porcelain. Flawless. It was strange seeing her look so immaculate, but it not her I was seeing, it was the effects of Faerie. Immortalizing the mortal.

  Suppressing the frown straining against my lips, I conjured a smile. “You look great, sis.”

  “And you always look like you just rolled out of bed. That’s talent.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “You bet. What brings you to Teleen? Really, this place is gruesomely depressing.”

  Anna peered around, taking in the commons with interest. “It’s been a while since I’ve been here. It’s not as bad as you led me to believe.”

  “Oh, I forgot. You’ve been cooped up in The Withering Palace, so this must look like paradise comparing to that.”

  “Let’s be honest, it’s not as bad as you think.”

  I lifted an eyebrow. “You’ve been breathing too much Unseelie taint, obviously.”

  She smacked my chest playfully. “Bug off, Benton. I need to speak to Shade.”

  I turned and bowed, holding my arm out in my older sister’s direction. “She’s right over yonder, Your Majesty.”

  “Shut up. I’m not royalty yet.”

  “Yet?” I snickered. “Pardon me, Your Spoiledness.”

  She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You’re pathetic.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Any time.”

  I watched her stroll toward Shade and pressed my lips together. If I could prevent her from marrying Oran, the Unseelie King, I would, but there was no changing Anna’s mind. When she got something stuck in there, it was darn near impossible to wedge it back out.

  Unless….

  Nautilus entered the room in a hurry, scampering to reach Anna. As he approached, he called her name, and she turned. Her face lit up like sky lanterns in a pitch-black night. I’d never seen her so excited to see anyone. She practically reached out and jumped into his arms, giving him a more than friendly squeeze.

  That’s right. Nautilus had a thing for Anna. If he could lure her away from Oran, I felt sure I wouldn’t be the only one pleased. But how does anyone lure a bride away from the Unseelie king when he threatened to dissolve Shade and Dylan’s marriage? At least Soap just wanted to be my sister’s second husband, not completely dissolve anything. Oran had marched his massive army into The Scren and demanded she leave her husband for him. It was nothing short of shocking.

  They released each other and began whispering to one another. I wasn’t about to intrude on their conversation or eavesdrop, so I scanned the rest of the room for something to do. Isolde happened to walk in at that very moment. Her timing was always impeccable.

  “Hey, gorgeous.” I jogged up to her and held out my arms as if we hadn’t just seen each other earlier in the day, trekking through the haunted forest.

  “Hello, yourself.” Isolde folder her arms and glared at me, leaving me hanging with my arms outstretched. “You didn’t tell me you had a girlfriend. Who’s Zena?”

  I dropped my arms, feeling the blood drain from my face. “She’s not my girlfriend. She’s a girl, yeah, but we… me and her… we’re not that.”

  “What are you then? I’ve heard from Soap you were quite cozy.”

  Damn that changeling brat. I was going to have words with him later.

  “We spent time together, but it wasn’t like that. I helped her find her mother, who was looking for her. And helped her find and free her brother. She’s Nephilim, like you. She just didn’t know it. I had to help her. In the process, her powers developed, and she found out she had a twin named Xyon.”

  I couldn’t have sounded more outrageous. I saw that none of it was convincing Isolde that Zena and I were….

  What were Zena and I? I had wanted more, but just like with Sary, life got in the way. She’d found her brother and headed off to return to her mother Rachel in the Raven faery stronghold. She wasn’t in her right mind, so they had gone off to see if they could help her. Twins. Together, they were a sight to behold. There was no severing that bond. Once again, I’d been left out in the freezing cold like always.

  My luck with women was nonexistent.

  “So she ditched you then?” Isolde lifted an eyebrow, invested in my answer.

  I shrugged. “You could say that. I tend to send the women running for their lives.” I chuckled, but inside I felt the burn of heartache I knew all too well. “What about you? You and Ciaran were what, exactly?”

  “You don’t have to worry about Ciaran. He did wake me up after a week of seeing me unconscious. He was a wreck. Poor guy couldn’t stand watching me cursed, so it lit a fire under his arse, and he got it all figured out.”

  “Where is he now?”

  She reached out for me and pulled me into a tight hug. “He’s not here, is he? I am. You don’t need to worry about Ciaran. He and I were never a thing. He wanted to be, but he wasn’t the one I needed.”

  I perked up at her words. My heart stammered at the same time, and I felt my breath hitch from the way she held me. She was my first love, but I would love it if she were my last. Life had sent us on different paths twice now, leaving us to roam the world on our own. Now, pressed together once more, I hoped it wouldn’t be splitting our paths again.

  “You know, I’ve always needed you, Isolde.”

  She pulled back and peered up into my eyes, hers gleaming with affection that made my insides ripple. Her lips were the perfect shade of pink; plump and beckoning. Even though she currently hid her wings, I could feel the two nodules on her back as I stroked her skin with my hands.

  “I can say the same to you, Benton. We keep getting thrown apart. How do we stop that from happening?”

 
; “Oh, don’t worry. This time, you can rest assured that I’ll be sticking to you like the plague, like honey, like super glue, like those thorns that won’t come off your socks when you tread through the fields.”

  “Hey now, don’t be like them and annoy me to death.”

  “Never.”

  She eyed me up and down, still pressed against my chest where I would let her stay forever. She had no idea how she affected me after all this time, but I hoped I did the same for her. She’d been so against touching me the last time we’d met, especially with her ragtag faery orphan group and Ciaran hanging around. But now, alone with just her and me in our own little world, she wasn’t wasting any time.

  “Let’s get out of here.”

  “Where do you want to go?” I asked.

  She smiled roguishly and fluttered her eyelashes as she pulled away, tugging on my arm as she went. “Your room, silly. I’m tired of waiting for you to make the first move. Tired of waiting for the world to fall apart. You want me, you’d better come and get me.”

  I grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Letting her drag me out of the grand hallway, my smile couldn’t be wiped off my face by anyone. Not even Kilara. Things would work out, but if they didn’t, we’d all be there for Shade. In the meantime, I needed to settle this with Isolde and show her exactly how I felt.

  Chapter Eight

  Soap

  The somber mood clouding the Teleen Caverns was like a coating of frost in winter. It did nothing to elevate Shade’s disposition for the journey to come. Kilara had given no deadline, but I was sure it was meant to happen as soon as possible. The journey wouldn’t lead us back home to The Scren Palace, a fact that soured Shade’s mood even more.