The Dark Pretender

by Nikki Jefford

  The royal family’s personal guard, Folas, came in directly behind him, holding a torch. He walked past the king to hold it at me like he meant to stab me with the flames. I pressed my head back against the hard wood, squinting in the brightness. Folas was a ginormous Fae with wide shoulders and muscles rippling over his torso and thick arms. He flexed them and drew his lips over his teeth when our eyes met. Apparently, he hadn’t forgotten that cursed night when I’d knocked him out.

  Lark had shifted his eyes away from me and looked slightly pale.

  King Liri was the only one smiling. He looked the scariest of all. Taking another step closer, he gave a soft tsk. “Nephew, you started without me.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Fraya

  Tears streamed down Reyna’s cheeks. Her friend stood beside her, holding her up. I understood she was upset, but we needed to get to Dahlquist and fight, not faint.

  The hallway had filled with murmuring guests. Helio rushed in demanding, “What happened here?”

  Vocla and Arli trailed languidly behind him with drunken half smiles. I wondered how loyal his friends truly were. Perhaps, like Taine, they were suckling at the golden teat.

  An elven female in a green gown and brown hair twisted into braids pointed down the hall. “A golden-haired Fae in a crown appeared out of nowhere, along with two guards. He dragged Prince Alok unconscious through a portal at the end of the hallway.”

  I held my breath, waiting for the female to out me. Lark’s guards had blocked me, giving Lark time to drag Alok to the portal. They’d had to run after him to portal out. A cluster of guests had been watching with open mouths as I ran in pursuit yelling and flung myself at the portal as it closed. Too late. I’d fallen to the ground.

  Helio’s face contorted. “There’s a portal access in my home?” he bellowed. He jerked his head from side to side. “Where the hell are my servants? Not a one around the moment Amberhill is breached and a guest abducted in the middle of my party. Unpardonable!”

  The female who had spoken pursed her lips. I kept waiting for her or someone else to mention my part in the melodrama. They had to have some idea of what I’d been up to behind Helio’s back. Maybe, like me, they were beginning to see through his charm. Perhaps they were protecting me. I felt grateful, especially since I hardly knew any of these elves. I couldn’t trust them all to hold their tongues. It would be too easy to tattle on me later. It didn’t matter. If one of these elves didn’t, Taine would the moment he awoke.

  “Where is my steward?” Helio demanded, as though one of the guests would be capable of answering. Vocla and Arli looked at one another and shrugged. “Do not fret,” Helio said to the group. “I will get to the bottom of this.” He stomped off.

  Vocla and Arli remained behind.

  “What happened to Taine?” Arli asked. “He wasn’t spirited away to Faerie, as well, was he?”

  “They only took Prince Alok,” said the female who had delivered the first report.

  Reyna sniffled.

  Arli sauntered over and offered a handkerchief. “There, there, Princess. Our generous host will get to the bottom of this. Do you know why your brother was taken?”

  Reyna stiffened. She looked down at the handkerchief like it was a spider. She plucked it from Arli’s fingers, crushing it in her fist. “We have enemies back in the faerie realm.” Her head lifted. She shot me an accusatory glare.

  I hadn’t gotten a chance to speak to Reyna alone. Maybe she would be the one to throw me off the bridge. But she didn’t. She kept tight-lipped on that account.

  “Keep it,” Arli said, when Reyna tried to hand back his handkerchief. I could practically hear his thoughts. You’re going to need it.

  He and Vocla staggered off. They didn’t even wait to round the corner before bantering about bets.

  About half of the group dispersed into rooms or down the hall. The other half stared at me as if expecting a confession or statement of some kind.

  I avoided their eyes and hurried over to Reyna. “Come with me,” I whispered urgently.

  Reyna stood her ground and narrowed her eyes. My proximity seemed to dry the tears from her cheeks. “You’re the reason he was taken,” she accused, not bothering to lower her voice. “Liri and Lark will kill him. You might as well have stabbed him yourself.”

  I sucked in a breath as murmurs arose at my back.

  Such a cruel thing to say. I had to remind myself that Reyna was distraught. She believed her brother was as good as dead. I couldn’t think that way. To lose Alok would be to lose myself forever.

  “I’m getting him back,” I said firmly, “but I need you to portal me to Dahlquist.”

  Reyna shook her dark head of hair. “There are wards in place.”

  “What about outside the castle?”

  Her lips tightened.

  I grabbed her by the shoulders. “Reyna, have you ever portaled to Dahlquist?” My heart squeezed. Pleading. Demanding.

  Reyna gave a slight nod and sniffed. “My mother opened a portal outside Dahlquist Castle when I was a child. We didn’t stay long. I kept demanding to know what had become of my brother, so she showed me where he was and told me that one day the castle would be ours.”

  Blythe patted her back, looking miserable over her friend’s distress.

  “That will be close enough,” I said. “First, I need a bow and arrow. Come with me.”

  I wasn’t about to let Reyna, my only ticket to Faerie, out of my sight. This time she obeyed. Her friend walked with her, both several steps behind as I hurried through the halls to the Moongolds’ armory. I looked over the bow racks and searched out the rosewood longbow I’d used during Helio’s little tournament on the front lawn. A little memento from Goldendale, I thought wryly. It had helped me shoot true before. I needed all the luck I could get.

  I snatched the closest quiver, filled with blue-feathered arrows. Seeing them reminded me of the beautiful blue highlights that had once tinted Alok’s hair. I felt a stab of pain and fear. I had to believe Lark wouldn’t outright murder Alok. Whatever he was doing, it couldn’t be good. I had no time to waste.

  Before I could lead the way back to the hall, Helio filled the doorway to the armory, blocking our path.

  “And what are you up to, my golden arrow?”

  Pitberries! I didn’t have time for this.

  “I’m getting Alok back,” I said. “I know who took him. It was my cousin.”

  “And why would your cousin do that?”

  “It’s a family matter. I’ll handle it.”

  “You’re not going anywhere, Fraya.”

  I’d had just about enough of this crap. I pulled an arrow from the quiver and nocked it in the bowstring. “Move aside, Helio.”

  “Don’t you dare point that at—”

  I released the arrow into Helio’s foot. He screeched. Behind me, Reyna and her friend gasped in shock.

  “That was merely a warning shot. You won’t like where the next one goes.” In a flash, I had the next arrow nocked. As much as I despised Helio, I would never kill him. But he didn’t know that.

  His eyes widened as he stared at the arrow protruding from his boot. When he looked up, his face was red. “You shot me! You crazy bitch!”

  “Move!” I yelled, aiming my arrow at his chest.

  Helio limped aside, shouting at my back as I passed him. “I would have given you everything you ever dreamed of. I showered you in gifts. I was your biggest fan. You’ve just made the biggest mistake of your life, Fraya!”

  I whipped around. Reyna and Blythe jumped apart as though fearful I’d let loose an arrow. I narrowed my eyes on Helio. “Engaging myself to you was my biggest mistake. Fortunately, we never exchanged vows.”

  Helio’s lips drew back, showing all his teeth. “Go, then. Turn your back on glory and greatness. I’ll see to it that you are never invited to another house party again, nor will anyone ever buy another bottle of wine from your aunt.”

  “Are you trying to get me t
o shoot you again?” I demanded, my jaw clenched. When I took a step toward him, Helio backed up into the armory. “Time to go,” I said to Reyna and Blythe.

  If Lark could open a portal in Amberhill, that meant he had an access point—something I intended to grill him about after I rescued Alok. It would be just like my mother to instruct Folas to check on me while she was out of the realm. Is that how Alok had been discovered? I’d get to the bottom of everything soon enough.

  The hallway was blessedly empty when we returned.

  “It’s here,” I said, standing in the place where the portal had closed before I could get through. There was nothing unique about the location. I would have chosen the spot between two potted palms for markers—not that the Fae needed them, but it would have dressed up the gateway.

  “You can’t come. It’s too dangerous,” I told Reyna. “We can’t meet back here either. What about your home in Frostweather?”

  Reyna shook her head.

  “You can stay with me,” Blythe said, stepping forward.

  Reyna blinked several times. Her face softening. “I do not wish to inconvenience you.”

  “Pishposh,” Blythe said, waving her hand dismissively. “It’s no inconvenience. I should have thought of it before.” The white-haired elf looked at me. “I live in Briarwood at the Bocote Estate.”

  I nodded and stepped away from the portal access point. “Then we’ll meet there.”

  Reyna faced the spot, her smile fading into a look of resolution.

  “Outside the gates of Dahlquist,” I reminded her, hoping she wouldn’t portal me to a desolate wasteland in retaliation if she still thought her brother was beyond saving. “I promise I’ll bring him back.”

  “Your promises mean nothing.”

  “I. Promise.” The vow rose from my throat and hardened like steel. “I won’t leave Faerie without him.”

  Reyna stared at me for several seconds, then spread her arms. The air around us felt as though it was being sucked away as light blue ripples appeared, forming an oval in the place where Lark had dragged Alok away from this realm.

  I nodded my thanks at Reyna, then stepped into the portal.

  Alok

  King Liri had yet to draw his sword and strike. The more he looked at me, the longer his smile appeared to stretch. This was the bastard who had killed my father, and now he would end my life, too. Apparently, he didn’t intend to make it a swift death. I was only five slashes into Lark’s death by a thousand cuts. What horror did Liri have in mind? There was no deluding myself that he’d keep me alive in the dungeons. He wouldn’t make the same mistake he had with my uncle Malon.

  “Give us a moment alone,” Liri commanded.

  Lark left first, rushing out as if he’d eaten something that didn’t agree with his stomach. Folas stormed out last, casting me one last lethal look over his shoulder.

  Liri stood perfectly still as their footsteps faded into the cavernous dungeon. Silence fell over the cell, and still, he remained quiet. His smirk didn’t appear quite as menacing as when he’d first entered. He studied me like I was some new specimen recently discovered in the wilds of Dahlquist.

  “Aerith’s daughter is here.” My heart jolted. How had Fraya gotten to Dahlquist? At first, I thought I’d misheard him, but as the words registered, panic set in. I jerked my arms and legs against the chains. “Calm yourself, Pretender. She is a guest in my castle, unlike you.” When I glared at him, Liri chuckled. He ran a pale, slender finger across his bottom lip, chin raised high as he looked down on me. “She has begged me to show mercy, to . . . release you.” Here he scowled before turning his expression neutral. “She claims you were young and extremely stupid when you tried to overtake my castle. She says you were only acting on orders from your mother and that you regret your actions. Is this true?”

  I clenched my teeth and answered, “Yes.”

  “Yes, what?”

  “Oreal told me I was to release Malon and take over the castle.”

  “And?” Liri leaned forward. When I squinted, a gleam came over his eyes. “You failed to mention the part about being young and exceedingly stupid.” A smile ghosted over his lips. When I clamped my jaw, Liri smirked. “Ah, I see you are afflicted by the Elmray pride.” Liri traced his lip again. I didn’t like the way he considered me with his unreadable eyes. “Aerith’s daughter also tells me you were trying to impress her. Is that true?”

  I clamped my lips together and narrowed my eyes further. Did Fraya really think she could save me from Liri and Lark? She shouldn’t be here, but at least she was no longer in Goldendale.

  “Yes,” I said. “I wanted to impress Fraya.”

  “Why?”

  I felt drained all of a sudden, not caring if Liri knew the whole truth. What did it matter? I’d been caught, and he would dispose of me soon enough. “Because Lark called me the son of a servant in front of her. He said he was going to have me and Lulu tossed out. I wanted Fraya to know who I really was—an Elmray.”

  Liri’s grin spread. He would always be my father’s murderer. But he was also family and the current king in residence. If I couldn’t keep Fraya safe, I needed Liri and Lark to.

  “I have half a mind to release you to her,” Liri said. “It would give me endless pleasure to see Aerith’s elf mate forever burdened with an Elmray miscreant bound to his precious only child.” I fought at the chains, infuriated by Liri’s amusement. “Still, I can’t just let you go. You tried to steal my kingdom. Even a pathetic attempt long ago is unforgivable.” Liri’s next smile was almost apologetic. He was probably just disappointed he couldn’t use me against Fraya’s father.

  The white-haired king left me chained in my cell. My heart fisted inside my chest, thinking of Fraya somewhere inside the castle beseeching Liri and Lark on my behalf. I expected Lark to return, waving his sword. Or Folas. Folas would probably use his bare hands on me. But I was left in silence, which was its own kind of torture.

  I couldn’t tell how much time passed before six guards entered. The chains were removed. With them, I felt like I’d lost fifty pounds. I was grabbed by either arm and marched from the cell into the dim hallway. The guards all glared at me through the gloom. Years ago, I’d knocked a bunch of them out with sleeping dust to free Malon. They probably hated me more than Liri did.

  I was taken to a new cell and shoved inside. Flames sputtered from torches on either side of the square room, roughly eight feet across in all directions. This room had a single sleeping pallet and blanket on the stone floor and a bucket in the far corner. Cozy. At least I was free of the infernal chains.

  I plopped down on the pallet and checked my wounds. The cuts were all shallow. Blood crusted over three of them. The blood at my neck was still wet to the touch. I didn’t want to think about my cheek. I tried dabbing at it gently. I was probably just smearing the blood around.

  I figured it would be a while before I saw anyone else and was surprised when voices and torchlight filled the passage outside my cell not long after I’d been moved.

  Fraya’s wide-eyed face appeared behind the bars. “What have you done to him?” she cried.

  I leaped to my feet and rushed to the door, reaching through the bars. She grasped my hands, tears filling her eyes as she looked at my cheek.

  I clenched my jaw. Was it that bad?

  “Lark was overeager,” Liri said from behind Fraya. “It could have been worse.”

  “He needs a healer.”

  “He’ll be fine.”

  “He’s bleeding!”

  “I’ll have cleaning cloths and ointment sent down.”

  “How generous,” Fraya said scathingly.

  “Watch your tone, daughter of Aerith. I am being exceedingly generous. I could have executed the traitor the moment he was apprehended. Instead, I am allowing him to live in my dungeons. Now make your choice. You can remain here at Dahlquist with your lover in a cage or return home to freedom.”

  My heart thundered. “Fraya, no! You have to lea
ve here. Forget about me.”

  Fraya’s nostrils flared. Although she had no elemental magic, fire seemed to burn along the outer rings of her irises. She squeezed my hands and pressed her forehead to the bars. “How many times must I tell you, Alok? I could never forget you, and I can’t live without you.”

  “But, the—”

  “We stay together from now on,” she said, cutting me off.

  I opened my mouth to argue. A dungeon was no place for Fraya. No place for a baby.

  Fraya let go of my hands and stepped back. “Let me in.”

  “Very well,” Liri said. His tone didn’t hold the same amusement when he spoke to her. He sounded slightly irritated, as though she was a pest he wished to be rid of.

  As the door opened, two guards rushed at me, pushing me back as Fraya slipped inside.

  “Fraya, no!” I yelped. The guards shoved me at the stone wall, then hurried out.

  The door smacked shut and the bolt was drawn, trapping Fraya inside my doom. As Liri led the guards away, Fraya launched herself at me, crying.

  “What did Lark do to you?” She took my face gently in her hands, more tears spilling down her cheeks.

  “It’s not bad,” I muttered.

  “Not bad?” she demanded. “He sliced open your face and neck.” She looked me over with a tight frown. “Where else?”

  “Fraya,” I said, holding her away from me. “You shouldn’t have come here.”

  I could count on her family to get her out. There wasn’t a chance in all the seven hells that Fraya’s parents would allow her to remain locked in a cell. Hopefully, they’d return from their travels soon. I was shocked Lark would stand aside while Fraya was locked up with me. More likely, he didn’t know. I hadn’t heard him outside with the guards.

  “I got here as fast as I could, but clearly not quickly enough.”

  “How?”

  “Your sister. Don’t worry,” she said when I stiffened. “She’s safe in the elven realm, staying with her friend, Blythe.”

  “Helio didn’t try to stop you?”

  “Helio and I are finished.” Fraya squared her shoulders. “Now we just need to get out of here. I brought a bow and arrows, but the guards confiscated them at the castle gates. Too bad my aunt Melarue isn’t ruling right now.”