"It seems he's become more than just our enemy,"
"Well, duh! My entire life without my apparent father who was chilling in the land of Fairy, while I was whisked away any chance my mother got to keep us safe until she died. That left me to fend more myself and the one time I was finally deemed special or of importance was only to use me for my intelligence and dream walking gifts! Since I escaped his clutches, it's been a struggle. A constant fight and fight against a man who's getting more powerful by the minute and yet I have to rely on drugs to keep me from dreaming and hide in a fucking church! An abandoned church in disgusting dirty clothes and beg for food. Did I mention that stench smelling mattress? My life is a chaotic mess because of this man that you could have rid of completely,"
I had to catch my breath, feeling outraged that all of this could have never happened if they just killed him or something.
"It should have never reached this point," I declared, pointing to him.
King Thallen stared at me for a long moment, and I was sure he would order his guards to cut my head off for yelling at him.
Even if I was his apparent lost daughter.
"You are correct," he replied, throwing me off with his response.
I had been preparing for so many answers. Being told I was right was the last thing I expected. "What?"
"I underestimated Ryul. With his Fae powers revoked, I assumed he would be harmless and didn't want to shed the blood of a man I once called my best friend and advisor. It was a foolish, heartfelt mistake. I own up for that much,"
"What about abandoning me and mother? You own up for that too?" I gave him an icy glare.
He looked away before a long sigh escaped his lips.
"You can look at me with that vile gaze all you want, but I was not the reason for my absence in your life," he said.
"Then who was?"
"Your mother." King Thallen rose to his feet and walked over to a cabinet. Pulling the top drawer out, he stuck his hand inside to retrieve a box. He walked over to where I remained seated, placing the box in front of me.
"What's this?" I asked.
"Open it up and find out," he replied, making his way back to his seat. Eye rolling before he caught me, I picked up the box, shaking it to make sure it wasn't a bomb of some sort.
With a frown and a pinch of curiosity, I lifted the lid up, only to gasp in shock.
"This...how...how did you get this?" I questioned, staring at the golden amulet that rested against the red silk lining of the box.
The amulet my mom treasured and went missing just like her.
"Your mother handed it to me herself," he replied, lowering back to his seat.
"That's impossible. She's been gone for years," I huffed.
"Years in your world are minutes in ours. The only reason why you aren't affected by it entirely is because of the liquid you've taken. Once you determine whether you'll accept you’re calling or not, is when we'll figure out your circumstances," he said.
"Why did she give you this? She said this amulet was the dearest thing to her and she'd give it to me once I got old enough," I declared.
"The amulet should have been in your possession from the beginning and would have been able to bypass the blocked paths into this world and teleport you here when I summoned you. It is created to be passed down to the individual that has the strongest connection within your circle of warriors for when it's their time to respond to their calling from you. She came and returned it to me, saying she wanted no part of this world,"
"She...abandoned me?"
The thought pained me. Remembering all the times I obeyed her every command so we wouldn't get caught or hurt. All the nights of running. Of moving from hotel to home. From making friends to losing them the very next day when I was forced to wake up and enter another rented car that would take us to our next destination.
After all the downs we faced with little ups, I still loved her. I respected her decisions because they kept us alive.
And then she vanished right after I enrolled in university, leaving me with nothing but the clothes on my body.
"I know nothing of her other attachments," he disclosed.
"Why didn't you search for her?" I asked.
"I've been calling for your presence for a while, and you've never shown up until today during the feast. Your mother took you away when she realized what my role was. She couldn't wrap her mind around being with me after discovering about the Hunt."
"You never told her?"
"I did. However, in her mind, she must have assumed I was referring to a circus act of some sorts. Something human-like and nothing in the context of the existences of another world. I didn't show her this world until you were born and able to walk, but instead of being accepting and open to the possibility of Fairy being a second home, she rejected it...and me."
I looked at him, meeting his gaze. I'm sure he tried to hide how that decision affected him, but I could see the hurt in his eyes.
The pain of losing the woman you love.
"To cut things short, she requested I return her to your world and that I never speak of Fairy to you. I agreed, for as long as she kept that amulet which was a vow she'd keep you safe until you were old enough to decide on your own. Seeing as it's now in my possession, you can now figure out her end decision."
I had no words to combat his claim. He didn't sound like he was lying in the slightest. For the fact he had the amulet, I remember my Mom showing when I was really small, added to the mystery solving.
She gave up on this world entirely. After all that hassle to keep me safe. Why? It makes no sense.
"Was I not good enough to be protected?" I whispered to myself, staring at the amulet. I wasn't sure whether to glare at it with hate or to appreciate the value and role it should have played if it was given to me in the first place.
"You are worthy of protection," King Thallen replied, grasping my attention as I lifted my head that felt so heavy. "To say my decision to fall in love with your mother was a mistake would be a lie. I loved her. Still do. She was a woman of grace and intelligence. I dreamed that we would live in harmony, whether it would be on Earth or here, in Fairy. My assumption was reckless of me, and my dream nowhere near realistic, but I would not regret your birth. Even if it meant painting me as a villain hiding away in the darkness. I've made many mistakes as a king. Not killing Ryul and showing sympathy for him. For not chasing your mother and fighting harder. However, I've done many good things, and saved many individuals along the way. Your calling is destined. If not, you would have continued to live your life on earth within the safe....or unsafe walls of that abandoned church." He stood and looked at me.
"It is your choice what you will do with this chance. Whether you'll accept this opportunity, or return to where you were prior to all of this. From how I see it, we have a common enemy and can benefit from one another. However, you are the decision-maker, and I will follow whatever you decide on. Your choice is but your own, and I'm only delivering the information you need to make the correct one."
"I...don't know if I can decide right away," I mumbled, feeling the pressure and weight of the crucial situation.
He was right. Opportunities like this one didn’t come every day. This was literally a life-changing offer.
This was a way for me to find out who I am while learning how to fight back against the Wizard. This would give me an alliance and resources to fight against him, instead of being a one-woman army living off of trial drugs and playing a helpless game of Hide-and-Seek.
"I..." The words struggled in coming out, and I wasn't sure whether I could make my decision here and now.
Can I make this choice now? What if I fuck up?
"Seeing as you just arrived, you will be given time to think about this. I don't want you to make a decision you'll surely regret if it is indeed, the wrong one. It is getting late. Let me show you to the private section of the castle," he began to move before waiting for my answer.
"
What about the amulet?" I questioned, looking back from his figure that was already walking down the hall and the amulet that was resting in the box.
"It has always been yours. Do as you wish with it," he declared.
I looked back at it, staring at the intricate symbol that was engraved into the smooth golden surface. Seeing as I hadn't determined whether I hated it or not, I decided it wouldn't hurt to keep it with me.
It could be of use, and it was important to both of my parents. I'll just keep it for now. At least until I make my decision. If I decided to reject his help, I'll return it.
Quickly picking up the box, I placed the lid on top and shuffled out of my chair to catch up to King Thallen, my father who couldn't be bothered to walk a tad slower so that I could keep up with him.
This may be my chance to show my potential. My strength in this battle. All I have to do is observe this new information while I figure out what decision to make. Yes. I'll watch, learn, and determine what side I'll choose.
7
See The World With Your Eyes
King Thallen showed me to my private quarters soon after. He didn’t just give me a room. He gave me an entire wing.
Seeing that his rooms were all decorated in dark woods, deep colors, and leather, I was pleasantly surprised to see that “my wing” as he had referred to it, was done in warm neutral shades that reminded me of the windswept deserts and sandy beaches.
A pair of French doors opened into my bedroom suite. There were no apparent windows, yet natural light drifted in from some unseen source. A four-poster bed draped with gauzy linen was the centerpiece of the room looked utterly divine, but just past that in a quiet corner was a sitting area. It had overstuffed chairs, end table, and bookcases stuffed with hard covered books. I instantly knew it would be my favorite spot.
I couldn’t help but be charmed by the other pieces of furniture that were really delicate and ultra-feminine in this space, especially given how King Thallen carried himself. Even now, he eyeballed the vanity with its conservative amount of cosmetic products and bottles as if it were a Pandora’s Box about to unleash horrors into the world.
He gave a brief tour and gestured toward the bathroom. “I hope everything is to your liking. If not, I have informed the housekeeping staff to attend your needs.”
With a stiff bow, he left me in my privacy. I noticed that he couldn’t leave such a feminine space quickly enough.
I placed the amulet on the dresser, tracing its surface with my fingertip one last time before searching through this new space in detail. There were actually clothes in the drawers and hanging in the closet which was as almost as big as the bedroom.
The bathroom was just on the other side of the closet, and I nearly cried at the sight. Months of constant running and stealing just to keep the clothes on my back or scrap of food all seemed to overwhelm me at once at the sight of this beautiful masterpiece.
There was a shower in the corner, double sinks decorated with beautiful flowers and fancy bottles, but the thing that brought tears to my eyes was the sight of the enormous soaking tub that was sunken into the floor. It was framed out with beautiful stonework that had a non-slip feel to it while making it look more like a natural pond rather than a bathtub. In one far corner, behind the arching neck of the faucet were candles and big jars with different colored salts.
The sight of this tub was what finally broke me. I crumpled into the corner, overwhelmed with emotion.
This was more material possession than I had owned in my entire life.
I couldn’t really own much when we moved three, sometimes four times a year. We were always moving. There never seemed to be any time to settle down and grow roots.
What would I have been if my mother hadn’t run from him? What if I hadn’t been on the other side of Fairy when the King had decided to close the paths?
Sometimes she said that she had to move for her job, but looking back on it, her job had nothing to do with it. Mom never seemed to work, and always managed to have just enough money for us to survive.
No, I doubted it was because of a job. Hell, I doubted that she was running away from any petty reason, like landlords wanting rent.
Though that had happened a couple of times…
I reached over to the knobs by the faucet and turned them. I said a silent prayer when water gushed from it. Whatever I did also made huge jets of water surge from ports in the tub itself, so that it was filling up quickly.
Tossing a wild combination of salts, soap, and bath oils into the water, I shut the water off, and quickly slid out of my filthy clothes and into the water.
It was a little too hot for me, but I didn’t care. For one moment, my worries seemed to drift away from me as I submerged my body up to me ears. The tub was big enough that I could literally float in it and be able to splay my limbs out almost like a starfish. I wasn’t short at five feet, eight inches, so this added luxury made me hum in pleasure.
Steam rose over the surface of the bath. Bubbles overflowed the top, and I breathed in the relaxing aromatic scents. Lavender, vanilla, and other flowers I couldn’t name filled my nose and seeped into my skin.
I let out a grateful moan. I hadn’t experienced this level of luxury in a long time. Between missions from Helping Hands and running away from them, my life hadn’t been the quiet one of saving the world that I’d envisioned as a naive kid fresh out of college.
Every muscle in my body ached, even muscles I didn’t know I had.
Even my pinky finger hurt. What did I even do to it?
I let the magical properties of the water soothe me, allowing myself to relax. There was so much that I’d learned just today. Images and stories began to blur as they played out in my mind’s eye.
My father. King Thallen. Leader of something called the Wild Hunt.
Then there was me, his alleged daughter. Someone he had expected to follow in his footsteps; someone he had expected to help him lead and gain more power.
It all seemed like a wild and fantastic story, and yet here I was floating in a tub in Fairy.
I knew what my problem was. I had trusted before and that didn’t quite work out for me. The Wizard ended up recruiting me right before I was supposed to graduate from college, and literally changed my life.
He had used my body and mind to carry out his own purposes and desires, and was still trying to hunt me down to finish whatever project he had started.
The Wizard was my father’s enemy, too, and that alone should mean that I could put a measure of trust in King Thallen.
But there were still too many questions. Like, if I could trust the king, why did my mother leave?
Something must have happened for mom to be scared and want to run away. Maybe she finally found a reason to believe King Thallen’s Wild Hunt story. King Thallen more or less admitted that mom didn’t want any part of this life, but what if the king’s enemies left her no choice? Maybe the Wizard, that Ryul, had been the reason she always kept us running? Damn, maybe she had been living this nightmare before I even knew about it.
If what King Thallen told me was remotely true, I could see why my life was so full of movement and uncertainty. I couldn’t know for sure, but clearly there had been a reason for my mother uprooting us over and over again.
Questions piled on top of more questions.
Can I trust King Thallen?
He hadn’t harmed me. When I stumbled into the middle of the feast, he welcomed me rather than became angry with me. He told me about my mother and given me that amulet.
As I floated in my bath, the only question that I was left with was: Can I afford not to trust him?
Sighing, I dipped lower into the water, letting the bubbles tickle my neck and ears as they fizzled and popped. There must have been straight magic in this water, because I could feel tension leave my body bit by bit.
“I think it has less to do with the water and more to do with you being in Fairy.”
Michael’s voice jolted me upr
ight. Or at least I had tried to. The tub was deeper than I thought, so the sudden movement caused me to sink under water. I flailed my arms, sputtering bubbles as a strong arm wrapped around my waist and hauled me up more securely against the tub.
I tried in vain to get the soap and bubbles out of my eyes. “Michael? What the hell—” that was all I could get out with the stinging in my eyes from the frothy water.
A warmed towel was pressed to my face. “Here, you could use this.”
His voice was strained and weird sounding. I had the odd sensation that he was trying not to laugh. “You better not be laughing at me,” I said, trying to sound fierce. Of course, I probably looked like a drowned rat, my long hair plastered to my head and wrapped around my neck like it could choke me.
Since I had stopped trying to drown myself in shock, his arm slithered away from me, leaving a fire trail on my skin. Heat rushed into my cheeks that had nothing to do with the water. I buried my face in the towel, wiping my eyes with gusto.
When I finished, I tried to blink the blurriness from my eyes. Michael’s outline was still fuzzy, but I at least I could see him leaning on the edge of the tub. He propped himself up on his elbows, biting his lip to keep from laughing, which I chose to overlook. “What are you doing here? I’m happy to see you of course, but isn’t this dangerous?”
Michael searched my face. “I’m happy you’re safe here...where you belong.”
That didn’t answer my question. I cocked my brow and tried again. “Don’t think I’m gonna let you get away from answering my question. Are you somewhere safe?” The last time I saw him, I was still blissed out in the squalor of the abandoned church. I didn’t know where he was, I never did, but his presence had always been a comfort to me.
Now was no different. Just having him here made something release a tightness around my ribs. As if I could breathe deeply for the first time in a while.
I roved my gaze over his features. His tousled thick black hair was so dark, it seemed to absorb the light. It was a bit longer than usual, shaggier, the little ends curling a bit and giving him a kind of angelic halo. A day’s growth of stubble shadowed his otherwise chiseled jawline. His eyes, normally the hazy blue of the sky on an overcast spring day were the shade of thunderclouds.
Shadows and Sorcery: A Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels Page 21
