“You just couldn’t be quiet,” Adam murmured. It seemed like he wanted to say more, and maybe he did, but a thunderous cracking sound nearby drowned it out, one so painfully loud that my hands rose to cover my ears in reaction. But Adam wasn’t fazed, no, he was accustomed to this. He’d made the trip too many times to be phased.
“Get up,” Nikolas’s hand was immediately in front of me, his voice hurried. I reached to grab it, getting hauled halfway up before I fell again, toppling on top of him.
Something was coming, and whatever it was was approaching at a rapid pace.
I shoved off of Nikolas’s chest, scrambling to gain leverage on the ground as he floundered, his eyes widening and his gills flaring as the world gave another shake. Everything stopped; the party across from us, the automobile, the guards just ahead of the King. No one moved.
The color left Nikolas’s face, and at first, I didn’t know why. Only that, in my motion away from him, the world around me had become darker, as if cast in a shadow.
And I wanted to know why.
“Get out of the way,” Lindy howled, and all the sudden I was knocked aside once more, shoved aside in a flash of movement before I could look up. Her shoulder was pressed against mine as she thrust her hands in the air. A shimmering dome of ice formed over us, just thin enough for me to see through.
But there was nothing above me, not anymore. An earsplitting crash came from beside us, and I snapped my head to the side just in time to see a mass of grey skin collide into the rocky mountainside, splitting the earth in two.
My ears rung as I stared at it, the air leaving my body in a single, strangled breath as a stream of low, foreign swears left Lindy’s mouth, firing off one after another.
“No. One. Move,” Adam muttered, even though every logical bone in my body screamed to run.
It was a foot. I could tell after a moment of staring, of waiting for it to move again. One with ragged, chipped toenails and calloused skin. One attached to a large, meaty ankle that was at least three people wide.
“Jötunn,” Lindy whispered. I’d heard the word before, said under the breath of merchants when they returned to Mr. Laurent from the land of Haldia as the reason for their failed travels. Giants. I didn’t know they existed in Whynne.
The creature let out a roaring yawn, rubbing at its eyes. For all that it was big, its eyes were small and beady, I wondered if it could even see us. I have no doubt that it could hear, but...
“Men need to learn how little value their words have,” Lindy grumbled, this time in English. “I do not get paid enough for this foolishness.” She flicked her wrist, a fresh pattern of frost spreading across the ice protecting us. “You’re sending home more money to my family, thick one,” she said to Adam.
Another lengthy moment ensued as the giant dragged the yawn out before its other large foot slapped down on the ground across the road. I flinched, rolling onto my stomach in a move that had Lindy’s hand gripping my arm. I was tensed, ready to run despite her claws.
A whimper escaped me as the dust settled, and I collapsed back onto the ground. Both men stood far away from the danger. Another moment passed, then I heard the crashing steps grow further away.
The dome around me shuddered, a mist hitting my face as it disappeared. Lindy’s hand released me only to push herself off the ground. She didn’t have the time to worry about a young woman burying her face in the dirt.
“What were you thinking, are you crazy or just stupid?” Lindy hissed, stalking over to Nikolas. “You want us all dead? You want to be flattened? You have a grudge; you don’t kill the rest of us for it.” Her finger was stabbing into his chest. “Can this country’s nobles not afford to raise their children with common sense?”
I wanted to relish the moment, I really did, but shock was beginning to settle in. I could barely lift myself off the ground.
“Wren,” Luka was at my side, his hand outstretched and his eyes wide. I heard Adam murmur something about breaking formation, but I took Luka’s hand anyway, letting him pull me into him with the motion. His arm wrapped around my shoulder, holding me close. “I’m begging you to not be hotheaded for five minutes.”
Loving as always.
“Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way—” Adam began in the distance, his voice still deceptively calm.
Luka’s face contorted with fury as he whipped around to face Adam, sharply stating, “that was not an Unseelie. You know that was not an Unseelie, giants aren’t even native to the area. What else do you have up here?”
I turned with Luka to see Adam dismiss him, waving off the statement. “No, it wasn’t. It is the very least of your worries in these woods. So, let’s keep our voices down and our footsteps quick, eh?” Adam turned back to the mountaintop, mumbling, “rest assured, the things you really need to fear won’t give you a warning like that.”
I felt the color leave my face as my fingers tightened around Luka.
“Two lines again, Lindy you go back with Luka. Nikolas, you keep your mouth shut.” He sighed, “we haven’t got all day.”
Chapter Six
Finally, we reached it. After hours of daylight lost to climbing and the creatures in the woods growing closer; it stood there. The palace.
When I was a child, I imagined what the palace would look like. Greenable was one of the few cities where you couldn’t see it, one of the only places in the country where you could almost forget that the King and his court existed. It was like a distant star then, a ball of light on the horizon that you could only see at night.
In person, it was just as bright, if not more so.
“I don’t see why they need outposts to protect it,” Luka whispered as the two groups merged in the courtyard. “I think even the Seelie find it to be positively blinding.”
Candles sat on every surface imaginable, and where they couldn’t be placed, lamps hung instead. “How much do you think he spends on wax a year?” I asked, and Luka only scoffed.
From one look at the palace, you could tell—the King was terrified.
“Camden’s got him convinced that the Unseelie are coming any day now,” Adam muttered in defense. Somehow that news didn’t surprise me.
“And do you believe that?” I asked.
“I believe whatever I am told to,” Adam said. “You’ll find it’s much easier that way.”
I somehow managed to hold my tongue. “Were his parents this terrified?” I asked, looking around as we strolled further into the courtyard. King Theo had already entered the building, having driven ahead of us, and was likely discussing his plan with his future bride.
“The King?” Adam asked. “It’s not my place to say. But queen Amelie? Terrified.” He shook his head, raising his hand in the air and moving his fingers until small flames danced between them. “She was from Lynn, where the forest is thick. She instituted hunting rewards once she’d driven most of the Unseelie out of the kingdom to make sure that they were gone for good. She was extremely popular because of that, a lot of families made good livings. She almost finished the job.”
“But she died young.”
“She chose to die young by their standards,” Adam said. “At a hundred years old. Her family and friends were gone, she had only her husband. She chose to let go of his mark and the long life that came with it, and then he chose to go with her.” Adam sighed, “terribly romantic, but Theo thinks its rubbish. He’d ban human fae relations if he could, says they only lead to heartbreak and trouble—unless they’re convenient for him. If either were still alive, maybe there wouldn’t be any Unseelie left.” He cast a pointed glance back at Luka, “of course, that might not have worked out as well for everyone here if they did.”
I saw Luka looking towards the ground out of the corner of my eye.
“Not all Unseelie are bad,” I began. Everyone around me looked away.
“I wouldn’t say that in this part of the country, Wren,” Adam said calmly. “And not around the King if you value your head.�
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I had barely the time to think of that concept before the topic changed again. Lindy spoke up from behind me, evidently unaware of how things went in the Kingdom of Whynne.
“So, the fae, they can make people live longer?” She asked, and I looked back to see her glancing towards Luka.
“With fae marks, yes,” Adam explained, even though there were three fae in our midst who were perfectly capable of elaborating; Luka, Nikolas, and the other guard who had declined to speak at all. “They’re used for bargains and promises, some use them to mark their lovers, but of course they can only use them on humans. With a fae mark, a fae ties themselves to another, mainly to be sure that their deal will be fulfilled. It comes in handy for finding people later on, collecting debts and so forth—They tie their lifespan to another’s so that the human can’t die before the time comes. But people can only have one mark at a time, and fae only have the ability to mark a single person at a time.”
“And how long does a fae live?”
“Anywhere from a hundred to five hundred years,” Adam shrugged. “Depending on the type.”
Lindy absorbed that information, looking around her at the fae surrounding her. “I want one,” she said, her voice heavy with expectation, as if someone would immediately step forward to give her one.
My hand reached for Luka’s forearm when her gaze fell on him. He gave me an amused scoff.
Adam only chuckled. “I don’t think you should want to make a deal with a fae, Lindy. It’s not as appealing as it seems, there’s a lot more to it than just long lives.”
“Hm,” she huffed. “We will see.”
“Indeed, we will,” Adam’s voice was strained, but he kept leading us forward. “You should try to make friends by the way, Lindy, Wren and Luka will be staying with you.”
“Is that why you made us take them?” Lindy asked. “Do they do anything?”
“Rest assured,” I replied sarcastically, “we do lots.”
“Good,” Lindy said. “I am tired of useless people, Whynne is too full of the rich, it makes them lazy.”
Pleasant. “What exactly do you do, Lindy?” I asked, holding possessively onto Luka’s arm as we took another turn through the hallway. “Where are you from?”
“Haldia,” Lindy said simply. A neighboring country, one that had a rather formidable wall along its border with Whynne. One that was always cold as far as I’d heard.
“She’s a woman of the sea,” Adam explained for her. “In Haldia they believe it’s good luck to bring women on ships, they pay families handsomely to let them take their daughters. Many of them have gifts when it comes to the water. Theo heard the word luck, and here she is.”
“And I hate it,” Lindy spat.
“It’s much too warm for her here,” Adam explained, “and she’s not fond of all of the hiking or the architecture… Or the food… Or the people… But you do like being on solid ground, don’t you, Lindy?” I believed the impatient click of a tongue behind me was her agreeing. Adam grimaced, pulling open another door and leading us through it.
I looked up to see the roof of the passageway covered in long, dangling roots. Amongst them were small, white balls of light and gleams of copper wiring that kept the hall illuminated. You could hear the electricity thrum through the air, and I felt my skin shiver with anticipation.
“Deep breaths,” Luka mumbled, and his hand finally dropped down to lock with mine. “Remember, nothing stupid, even if it’s your natural inclination.”
“You insult me,” I hissed, wrenching my hand out of his grasp.
“No,” said Luka, “I know you,” he said, the side of his mouth lifting.
“No use trying anything, Wren,” Adam said. “You’re outnumbered, and from the sounds of it, you barely even practice. Better to listen to Luka for once.”
The thought hadn’t even formed in my mind yet. I frowned, my fingers twitching with want. I don’t know what it was, but when there was electricity around me, I felt like I had to.
Looking away, I let my fingers dangle, the random, unpredictable lines of electricity dancing across my skin. It felt like relief. I still didn’t understand this strange thing that had happened to me, or where it came from, but as time went on, I did not want it to leave. I was so used to holding back in training and trying not to be found, that letting myself play with it felt liberating.
I saw Adam glance back, his dark brown eyes catching on the slightest glimmer of blue in my palms. A smile slid across his face before he turned forward once more. No one else noticed.
“We’re nearing the King’s chambers,” Adam said. “Do be on your best behavior.”
My eyebrows narrowed. Not the throne room? But no one else seemed to think it was strange.
Adam grabbed the crystal doorknob of a seemingly random doorway, casting an exasperated look back to the party when he found it to be locked. The slightest turn of his wrist, however, and he managed to force the door to unlatch. He pulled it open.
I don’t know what I was expecting.
It wasn’t gaudy, which I supposed I should have been thankful for, but it was the kind of place that didn’t feel the need to hide its wealth. Oil paintings decked the walls, meticulously maintained and placed tastefully around the room. A long sofa and an assortment of chairs greeted us, the dome like ceiling overhead casting light down onto the sitting area in particular. To either side were open doorways, one leading into a room with tile that I assumed to be his personal bathing chamber and the other partially obscured by the King’s waiting body in its doorway. I was glad for that.
“You sure took your time,” Theo said, kicking off from the doorframe, his hand rustling his already messy blond curls. It was written plainly cross his features what exactly he’d been up to. “Camden will be just a moment.”
Adam winced. Theo didn’t mind it.
“She’s excited to see you, Wren, you’re one of her favorites.” I doubted that.
“Perhaps we can begin without her?” Adam pressed. “I’m sure Wren would prefer to get home before nightfall, I know I would. It’s been a long day.”
King Theo waved off the statement. “You’re just in a mood, Adam. Are they still giving you trouble about buying that home in Greenable? I told you, drop my name once this is all over and you’ll have a house in a day and be in good company again. Though I will be bored when you’re no longer here.” He threw a smile Adam’s way, “but if that is what makes my closest friend happy, then who am I to argue?” He had no idea what was bothering Adam.
“The deal,” I demanded, pressing past Adam to the forefront as the man seemed to shrink. “We’ve already had an encounter today, and you neglected to mention that you somehow have things other than Unseelie in these woods. I’d like not to take any more risks and run into more of them.” Theo’s eyes slid over to Luka, I stepped in the way.
“Bold, for a maid,” Theo said. “I thought they taught you manners. Perhaps the Laurents should re-evaluate how they train their staff.”
“I’ve not been a maid for a while,” I said. “Perhaps you should pay attention, you’re the one who promoted me after all.” The muscle in the King’s jaw twitched.
“I can send you back to Alda.”
“By all means.”
“Just you,” he said, and I stiffened. “That’s what I thought,” Theo responded, his prominent grin slowly returning as he let himself sprawl across the couch. He did not invite anyone else to sit. His grin widened at the confusion and strain on everyone else’s faces, he turned to the door he had just emerged from, calling loudly, “are you done yet, my love?”
“Soon,” a voice called back, and I found myself taking a step backwards at it, nearly backing into Luka’s chest.
Sometimes, I still heard her voice in my dreams. I still saw the feral look on her face after I was hauled out of the wreckage of her automobile.
“I like for my partner to be in the know,” Theo said. “She is brilliant, after all.”
“Of course.” I anxiously eyed the door, knowing that at any moment she could enter. Camden didn’t disappoint.
She strolled in wearing a thigh length pink silk robe and the most condescending smirk I had ever seen. Camden practically glowed, I suppose she was pleased. After our last interaction I had left with the upper hand, forcing my way further into her world and securing my place by Luka’s side. Now I was back, and she could put me into my place. It must have been so hard for her to let me feel as if I had won for once.
“Wren,” she said my name, her voice high and musical like I had never heard before. It was evident that she was putting on an act, somehow morphing the meaning of the word ‘happy’ into meaning, ‘I wish you were dead’.
“Love,” Theo said, and I watched with fascination as she crossed the room, willingly sitting atop his knee as if she were a doll. This was a much different person than the one I knew before. This one was subservient, at least in front of him. “You see,” Theo stated, his arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her into him, “things will be much safer than before, just as I promised.”
“I’m glad,” Camden looked so blissful, I could have vomited at her performance. “We couldn’t have carried on like that, who knows what would have happened if they were to get in here and harm you… Especially when there is no successor.” The statement was loaded, and I felt like she constantly said it, urging him closer and closer to a conclusion—one which he had not yet even considered. Her at his side, formally crowned.
“I’m here,” I said, interrupting whatever they had going on. I’d seen worse when cleaning up after parties as a maid, but I still couldn’t help but wrinkle my nose at his hand placed high on her hip. “Let’s move on, I’ve nearly been flattened today, and being served up on a platter for the Unseelie still doesn’t sound very appealing.”
“You’re speaking to a king,” Camden said flatly. “Remember your place and show respect.”
“He told me to call him Theo,” I informed her, “I’d say that’s nearly friendship.” That earned me a hum of laughter from her companion. “I’d like to know what’s going on now and leave, if you would.”
Quill and Cobweb (The Chronicles of Whynne Book 2) Page 6
