by A Lonergan
Chapter Thirty-One
Cal
After a walk through the garden with Bea and about a million questions on her end, I finally learned the name of her eldest sister. Ailia. Bea couldn’t understand why I wanted to know but I was only a tad bit curious. She was beautiful but I wasn’t certain I wanted to get involved with another spitfire woman. I could tell that Ailia was a handful.
“Can we go on another date?” Bea asked after a few minutes of blessed silence.
“This wasn’t a date.” I tried to stay firm when I spoke to her. I couldn’t give her the wrong impression. War wasn’t a time for romance and I had to stick to my word on that. There was no going back.
She pouted. “Well, you have a few dates scheduled this week.”
I wanted to throttle her. “Says who?”
She gave me a condescending smile. “My father.”
I was over being in this godforsaken kingdom already. “Who is next then?”
“Ailia.” Bea’s eyes twinkled with mirth.
Lovely.
I had been trying to hide in my room now that the girls were allowed to annoy me at any given time of the day. If I needed anything I sent Nico or one of my other men. But unless I was going on a scheduled date, I stayed put. I couldn’t handle how handsy they were or how sheltered. They hadn’t been in the presence of many men and they were all being saved for the moment royalty knocked on their door. Like I had. I pulled a clean blue tunic over my head and leather pants on. I didn’t worry about lacing my boots up very well. I wasn’t trying to impress this grouch or any of the sisters for that matter.
A knock on my door signaled it was time for me to go get Ailia. But when I opened the door I came face to face with the king. I plastered a smile on my face. “What a surprise, Lawrence.” I held my hand out to shake his. “I was about to go get Ailia to get to know her. What can I do for you?”
Lawrence smiled and scratched his beard. “Atta boy! Just the attitude I needed. I will look past the problem at the lake if you marry my eldest daughter.”
I swallowed nervously and wondered if he knew that I knew Ailia was his oldest. I kept my mouth closed and let him continue.
“I want to merge our kingdoms for the better. We should unite together against the evil and darkness out there.” Lawrence gave me an encouraging smile. “She is intelligent and easy on the eyes. She will bear your handsome strong children. Eventually I am sure she will learn to love you, but that isn’t a requirement for a happy union.” He got a glassy look to his eye before he let out a bark of a laugh. “In fact, my father and mother had many mistresses. They appeared in court together, bore children together, and then had sterile partners to keep them happy. I would not object to that.”
The air left my lungs and all I could do was stand there and stare at the man. He slapped me on the shoulder and I almost toppled over. “Think about it, Cal. It could make our kingdoms very rich and very happy.”
I didn’t want to think about it. I wanted to marry for love but I knew I was in a tight spot. My parents had never had mistresses, that I knew of, but I couldn’t stomach doing that to my future wife. Even if I hated her.
Nico was waiting for me outside the door but he didn’t say anything and neither did I. I could hardly think straight after what Lawrence had said and there was no way I was ready to talk about it. Then the thought hit me. Ailia was probably going to be the one to bring it up. She had to know what her father was planning. I scrubbed my hands down my face and shook my head. This wasn’t going to be a fun outing.
Her room was, surprisingly, only a few down from mine. I knocked twice and the door swung open so hard I thought for sure it was going to come off of the hinges. Her dark blue hair was wild around her shoulders and her lavender eyes held fury. She wore black leather pants and a flowing white tunic. It was just transparent enough that I could see gold lettering etched into her skin below the fabric. “Let’s get this over with.”
She grabbed my sleeve and yanked me down the hall. Nico tried to keep his composure the entire way but he failed miserably. We went straight out the back side of the castle. We passed houses and a market, but the woman didn’t slow down. She kept on at a breakneck pace.
“Can I ask where we are going?” I was almost afraid she was leading me to my death until we came upon the pond. She sunk down by the water’s edge and she bowed her head. Her shoulders shook and I didn’t know what to do. So I sunk down on the grass beside her and looked at the frozen faces below the water’s surface.
“They were my friends,” she whispered.
I licked my lips nervously. “I am doing what I can to help free them.”
“They are down there because of you.” She looked up at me and tears had made their way down her face. “My father knew that I would want to come here today and he couldn’t help but try to prevent that. I come at the same time every week. I pour my magic into the depths of these waters. You cannot save them. Nothing can.”
“How is it my fault?” I stared at the frozen giants in the lake. Their faces were stuck in expressions of horror and grief. Many of them were emaciated and their skin was an ungodly shade of green. I had spent many nights here dumping my magic into the depths, as well. But I had never been told the history on the trapped creatures.
“The elves came months ago.” She looked out into the tree line and snarled. “They came before you even entered the mountains. They promised my father an alliance. Gold, silver, magical servants that could do the unimaginable. My father was smitten. But then he realized that he would have to go to war with another eligible bachelor. My father wouldn’t agree to go to war with you because he has to marry all of us off. My father wanted to create peace. He offered me to their commander.” Ailia’s face grew pale and out of the corner of my eye I could see Nico shaking his head, warning me that this wasn’t going to bring forth any good.
“You don’t have to go on.” I couldn’t manage to look at her now. Not because I was disgusted by whatever was upsetting her, but because it hurt me to see someone so low and not be able to do anything about it. “They did this to the giants?”
She nodded and her blue hair fell forward around her face, concealing her grief. “I think they were afraid of what the giants would do to them when they found out what their commander did to me.”
Nausea gripped me hard and I had to run to the tree line to empty my stomach. Nico knew what was coming. He could feel certain emotions stronger than others. He had felt her grief in many others too many times. He had tried to warn me. After I was done emptying my stomach, I had to keep my rage in check.
The elves had brought too much harm to our kingdoms. They couldn’t and wouldn’t get away with what they had done. I was going to take the head off of the commander and I was going to parade it in front of their men. Vengeance didn’t seem sweet enough. It didn’t seem like it would ever be enough. But I was going to make him scream. If it was the last thing I did, I was going to make sure that people like that didn’t see the light of day again.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Willow
For whatever reason, I didn’t trust Balam and his word for staying in the tree line. I kept my undergarments on and floated in the water. It felt too good to be true. After the day we had, this was paradise. I didn’t want to spend too much time in the water but I also knew it was going to be hard to drag myself out. Balam probably needed a good wash as well, but he could wait a little while longer.
I had long hair after all that needed tending to. I closed my eyes and let out a hum. It felt like years since I had been able to have a good soak. I wished I had soap but this would do. Just getting the sweat off of my body was sweet relief. I threaded my fingers through the water and watch the tiny fish swim downstream around me. The water was crystal clear and smelled heavenly. It was the perfect oasis. The sand was gone and the trees seemed to have gone back to normal but I knew our dealings with the temperamental mountains weren’t over yet. I dunked my head under the
water and stayed there. Little bubbles escaped from my mouth and floated to the surface and there I sat. My hair floated around my head and I felt free. I felt like I had never felt in my entire life. Like my life was actually mine again.
So there I sat until a splash in the water startled me and I was yanked out off the bottom of the river. I sputtered as I came up for air. Balam had his hands around my arms as he hauled me from the water.
I coughed. Water and mucus flew from my mouth. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Balam looked at me confused. He had lost his shirt at some point and his bronzed body was bare. Thick crisscrossing of scars covered every inch of his chest and his back. “I thought you were drowning.”
He dropped my arms and pulled himself from the river. His chest was heaving and he wouldn’t look me in the eyes. “I’m fine, I just felt good under the water. Nothing to be afraid of.”
The demon didn’t say anything and marched into the trees. I sat on the river’s edge and pulled my clothes across the ground. I fingered one of my knives before something wrapped around my ankle and yanked me under. I was moving at such a rapid rate I couldn’t see what was happening around me under the water or what had me. My lungs burned as I was pulled farther and farther below. The tentacle tightened around my leg and my foot felt like it had little needles in it. I kicked my legs and swung my arms but it didn’t matter. I was moving in slow motion down here and there was nothing I could do until the monster stopped.
I should have known this river was too good to be true. The creature finally slowed and I was able to see that it was much bigger than I had originally thought. It was the biggest thing I had ever seen. If I had to guess, it was bigger than a dragon. It was made up of massive tentacles and from what I could see, it didn’t have a head. I bent my body and tried to attack it, but the thing was a creature of the water. I was not. My movements were slow and jerky while the monster used the water to its advantage.
My chest hurt as I fought with the little breath I had left. Black dots filled my vision and I blinked furiously. I wouldn’t die down here. I wasn’t going to be the victim. I wasn’t going to lose to a monster.
I pretended to go limp and soon I was dragging the bottom of the river. The water monster stopped and pulled me close to its body. I wasn’t as fast underwater but I was still deadly. I stabbed at whatever I could reach and didn’t stop. The water around me turned black and the appendage that had a hold on me, finally released. Feeling rushed back to my toes and I was able to kick free of the monster. I propelled myself pretty far before my body hit the surface. My limbs were heavy and I fought to stay above the current. I tucked my knife into the band around my breasts and looked around. The beast had brought me farther downriver than I had thought. Nothing looked familiar and darkness had fallen. Even though I was exhausted I pushed my body up river and tried my hardest to stay awake.
After a little, while I noticed that my movements were sluggish and I wasn’t getting upriver as quickly as I thought. I knew that if I stayed in the water something else would come for me, but I also knew that my chances out of the water weren’t good either. Especially out in the open like this was. The tree line was too far and if I stumbled into it, the chances of me getting out of it were slim. I had to stay where Balam could find me, if he ever noticed I was missing. I hefted myself up onto the side of the river and rubbed my ankle. It was sore and bruised badly. Almost as black as my magic and tattoo.
The stars were bright in the night sky. It was the only thing that gave me hope. They sparkled and danced above me and I felt myself relaxing again. In all the time we had spent in these mountains I hadn’t had the pleasure of seeing the stars until now. A breeze nipped at my skin and I knew it was time to continue on.
I held onto the tall grass and used it as a handle to pull me upriver. A few tall stalks of it helped me get pretty far before they would break off in my hands.
After what seemed like ages I could see my knives sparkling in the moonlight. They were so close but so far. My body felt too heavy to go on but I knew I had to. I was almost there. My foot slipped on a rock and I lost my grip on the grass. My face hit the rocks on the side of the river and my body went right under. I managed to grab a root under the water to keep me in place but I didn’t know how strong it was. My hands slipped on the rocks as I searched for grass to pull me up. There was nothing. My body was too tired to fight the side of the embankment and I knew if I didn’t get help soon, I would go under.
The root broke away from the wall of the river and my body collapsed with it. The only thing I knew to do was scream, “Balam!” As my body plunged under the water again.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Balam
Shame coursed through my body. If I had it my way, I would have bathed in the river with her. But I knew mortals were weird about their modesty and so I left her be. It was silly but I wanted her to feel comfortable. After all, a grouchy Willow was the worst Willow to travel with. Then I had gone and embarrassed her and myself. I had seen the look on her face when she had seen my scars.
After that, I knew why mortals were strange about modesty. I didn’t like being ogled unless it was in a sexual manner. I didn’t care for the look of horror on her face or the scent of pity that had lit the air. I pressed my palms against my eyes and took a deep breath. I could be disgusted, I could be upset but Willow didn’t deserve to have anything taken out on her.
I had expected the cold shoulder. I had expected her to be walking off but I hadn’t expected her to be gone. Her clothes were close to the water’s edge, but one of her knives was missing.
I inhaled the air around the river and got a very brief whiff of darkness. It was the same smell that had come around with the frost creature and plenty of other malevolent things I hadn’t told Willow about. She had enough to worry about, I didn’t want to add anything else to her already overflowing plate. I stuck my hand down into the water and hissed. It was definitely a dark creature but I couldn’t tell what. By the feeling in the air and the smell of the water, there were more nearby. I raced through the trees to my weapons but they were missing. They had been hanging on a low branch right inside the tree line. It was an easy spot for me to put them and an even easier spot to hide them.
There were tiny pixie tracks that lead into the forest. I knew my magic was strong enough to fight off the monsters waiting in the water, but I couldn’t lose the only weapons I had left from my home. They were thousands of years old and had served me well. If I lost them now, I would be losing a part of my soul. Wherever Willow was, she was long gone and there was nothing I could do to save her right now.
I did the only thing I knew to do and that was follow the tracks.
The tracks lead me deep into the forest and after going around in circles, I was seriously regretting the decision to search for my weapons over Willow. Something wasn’t right in the air and it made me wonder if this was planned. I closed my eyes and let my magic coat the ground. I commanded it to search out the thief. It showed me a naked nymph not too far from where I stood. I opened my eyes.
“What do you want, nymph?” I called out.
“My quarrel isn’t with you,” the woman called back.
“What is it you want with Willow?” I didn’t move and neither did she. I was curious about her.
“I want her to turn back from this forsaken mission.”
I cracked my neck. “She follows the direction of another.”
“She will die if she doesn’t turn back.”
Anger sizzled in my veins. “Do you know who you speak of? You couldn’t kill her even if you wanted to.”
Nervous energy filled the woods. The branches practically dripped in it. “What do you mean, dark one?”
“She is the only descendant of the Maiden of Death.” I took a step in the stranger’s direction. “She has powers that are unmeasurable.”
“I don’t want my people to suffer any more than they already have. I tried to turn them away
.” I could hear a slight tilt in her voice which lead me to believe it was a lie.
“You gave them a map,” Now I was simply guessing but it made sense.
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” the creature tried to reason.
“You led them down a path that had weak points, you were suspicious of her power but also, you knew where the most dangerous creatures reside.” It was all coming together now. “You wanted to separate her from the rest of the group, from her king.”
I stalked around a tree and her body started to tremble. Fear was thick in the air. I could practically taste it. My chest rumbled in satisfaction. There was something delicious about another’s fear. Especially when they had more magic than they knew what to do with. I licked my lips and the bittersweet taste coated my tongue.
“I didn’t know who she was.” The creature took a step back but I was already advancing. “I didn’t know she was so powerful. I only wanted to help my people.”
I pinned the woman to the tree and pressed my nose to her neck. I inhaled her fear and desire. Her naked skin pressed against mine and something animalistic tore through my chest. A growl escaped me and the woman shrunk back into the tree even more. I knew her magic would let her walk through it, I could feel it, but I didn’t know why she was letting me torment her like I was. My teeth pressed against my bottom lip and I knew I was close to losing control. There was something about the way her body shook and the way her fear smelled. It was intoxicating. It was new. Her species was a new one for me. My canines pricked my lip and blood flowed down my chin. The nymph’s eyes grew wide in horror and this time she did melt through the tree. I didn’t mind. A good chase was always fun. Plus, she had sent us on this fools run and punishment was always nice.
“I want my weapons, little nymph.”
