The Nazieth filled into the corridor, unarmed but fists raised ready for a fight.
“Calm down, the prince set us free. He will take us to the king. We have to get Jax back, grab some elfish dust, and get the hell out of here.”
“Did you say elfish dust?” The prince asked, walking past the Nazieth, my bag in his hands. He reached me and gave it freely. I rummaged inside feeling for all of the items.
“Nothing is missing. They couldn’t open it. Not even with the king’s magic so he ordered it destroyed,” the prince said.
“Then how?”
“I told him I would take care of it.”
“I will need elfish dust and a few other things in order to complete a cast to seal the mouth of hell. It’s the darkness’s way into the human world. To tell you the truth, we could use a hand fending off the demons that could come through, too. Not that I think the mouth will be opened, but if it is it will pay to be prepared.”
“But you need elfish dust?”
“Like I said. Why is that hard to get?”
The prince frowned. “Only a king can create it.”
“You’re a prince, can’t you?”
“No, only once the position of power is transferred can I create the dust. Or, do anything, really. It was hard enough stopping those arrows.”
“It was you?”
He nodded. “Hey, you saved us, and you got us out. Take us to the king. I will explain it all to him and I am sure he will want to protect his elves and help defend against the darkness too.”
The prince didn’t look convinced.
“Now, take me to Jax.”
The tunnels the prince took us down twisted and turned making it near impossible to keep track. Except for Madel. She sat happily on my shoulder stating left and right moments before the prince turned and we followed.
“Madel, are you still tracking Ava?”
“I am, she’s hiding in the dark, hide and seek. Count one two three—”
“Madel.”
“Sorry, funny one asks her to play a game, asks to hide then counts to her.”
“Oh, thanks. I hope we get to Jax soon, we really should have found her by now. The longer it takes the more likely the darkness will get that bloody mouth open. We are running out of time. How many nights are left?”
“Three,” Madel said, matter of factly.
Have I really been awake for two days?
“The throne room is up here. Jax should be in front of the king. I warn you, he might be under influence,” the prince said, and my heart leapt into my throat.
“What do you mean?”
“They will do anything to find out what they need to. Our methods are not always pleasant.”
“Do you mean torture? Will the king be torturing Jax?” I quickened my pace, passing the prince, and dashing up the corridor. Madel called right into my ear and I turned. Following her direction now, I ran. I ran to Jax. I ran to the king. And Fey help him if Jax was hurt. I would not forgive; I would not hold back.
“Left and done,” Madel said, and when I turned left I saw the door to the throne room. It was large and dark. Two doors actually with central handles that interconnected to form a lock.
I called my magic forwards, but it wouldn’t come.
“Fuck,” I said as I jiggled the handles trying to get them to release.
“The key to here, the key to there, it’s a key to everywhere,” Madel sang and I remembered the key to the world, or worlds as it may be. Reaching into the bag, I wrapped my hand around it and brought it out.
There was no opening for a key so I held it tightly in my hand and willed my magic forwards again. This time it came freely and the door burst open.
I could hear the Nazieth following with the prince but I couldn’t wait. I shoved the key into my pants pocket and. I ran into the room. I passed the main pillars that loomed either side of the entrance and saw him. Saw my Jax. He was bound to a chair with the same golden rope that had taken us over earlier. The rope around Jax moved up and around his neck and his head lifted to show the damage done to his face. His eyes were swollen and closed, his lips speckled with blood he had possibly spat, and a gash across his forehead still drizzled down his face and off his chin.
I looked from the guards around him to the king now standing in front of his throne.
Not knowing how long my magic would work I spelled it out towards the guards who stood over him. The three elves flew against the wall of the room, their heads made a sickening crack as they connected with the stone. Red flowed from their wounds and soaked between the crevices of the stones on the floor.
The king shot something towards me but my shield was up and working.
Infuriated he stormed towards Jax. I ran, willing the shield to separate Jax from the ropes that bound him. It wouldn’t work.
The king threw a golden length towards me and I quickly dodged it and backed up a little. I couldn’t afford to be captured again.
“You have to listen, the darkness is coming. Let him go, we need to stop it.”
“Lies! You seek to steal from us, to steal our secrets, to steal our magic, to steal our gold.”
“I don’t want your fucking gold, you idiot. Let my husband go.”
“Oh, so the fairy boy means something to you, does he?” the king asked, his eyes turning to slits as a sinister grin painted across his waxy face.
“If you hurt him, I will kill you.”
“You would kill a king? A little girl like you? All you’re good for is breeding strong boys, strong men, not much else. Least not within the elves.”
“The last person who called me a little girl didn’t live to repeat his mistake.” I dodged the rope again.
I could hear the Nazieth coming. They were almost here. But they had no weapons, and my magic might not last.
The rope tightened around Jax’s neck and I could see his breath struggle.
I brought forth my magic to the tips of my fingers. It tingled in blue lightning then I pushed it out and threw a blot of light towards the king. I wasn’t sure I could, or if it would even hurt him, but it shocked the shit out of him. He fell to the ground just in time for it to fly over him.
With the king on the ground and not focused on Jax, his power over the magical rope wavered and I saw it loosen a little as Jax took a gasping breath.
Great, kill the king, save Jax. Easy right?
I tried to throw another bolt but the power fizzled at the end of my fingers like the end of a live wire.
Crap.
I ran to a pillar at the side of the room, picked up the unexpectedly heavy vase from on top of it, and threw it best I could towards the king. It didn’t reach him. But it did piss him off.
He rolled to the left and jumped up to his feet. He swung his arm around and a green light flew from it towards me. I ducked behind the pillar. Green cracks began to form through the stone and I leapt to the side just as his magic shattered the pillar into a thousand pieces.
I tried to throw another bolt and this time one soared from my fingers towards him. He swung his arm and his green magic cut through my bolt. My fairy form took over on instinct and my wings encased me in a glistening shield. His magic hit and my wings stung with the contact, but left me otherwise unharmed.
“Hide behind your cloak, my magic will get through eventually.”
I felt the blasts come again and again. The pain intensified. A metallic whoosh broke up the blasts, followed by a wet thud.
The pain stopped.
My wings released me and I stood to see the prince standing over the elfish king’s body. The king’s head a few meters away, his lifeless eyes staring at me.
“Someone cover that up,” I said, phasing back to my normal form. “It’s creeping me out.”
“Des,” Jax’s strained voice called. I ran to him, the golden rope limp on the ground after the king’s beheading
“Jax, are you alright? It’s okay, the prince killed him, his magic has gone, we are going
to be fine.”
“The prince killed him?”
The prince still held the sword in his hand, he hadn’t moved. He just stood there looking at the body of his king.
“He did, but I don’t think he’s taking it well.”
“The power is open, he has to claim it. If he’s to be king, he has to claim it before another does,” Jax forced out through strained breaths.
I ran my hand down his cheek then darted to the prince.
“You can take you place now. Jax said you must claim the power or something. You need to snap out of this, you saved me. You had to do it.”
“I can’t claim it.”
“You have to.”
“I killed the king, they won’t allow me to take his place. They will try me for regicide. I will rot in the prisons, the next will claim.”
He has to become king. I need that dust, I need to get out of here and find Ava. He has to claim it. I heard the rumble of the elves converging on the room. I looked from the sword in his hand to the body of the beheaded king at my feet, then snatched the sword from the prince and stabbed it through the king’s chest.
“What have you done?” the prince whispered. “They will think you did this.”
“Then you better claim the power now so you can pardon me and help your people.”
The prince snapped out of his downer and walked around me to the head of the king. Reaching down, he pulled the small crown from the head and held it up, just as the elfish guards breached the door.
They stopped partway into the room, bows and swords drawn.
“I am the next in line. The next to lead. The power of our people shall flow through me. As it has always been, for the next three shall it be. Emeratis regalis transformigate.” The king’s body and head shook as a mist emerged from it. Silver and sparkling it hovered in the air then swam towards the prince.
It hit him, and his back and head arched with the force of it. It swam around his body then the silvery mist funnelled into his mouth.
The guards all knelt. I motioned for the Nazieth to do the same and followed suit, but I held the sword out as well. An offering to the new king.
“The fairy must die for her crimes against the king. A life for a life,” one of the guards said, and I shot my eyes up at them but didn’t stand.
“The fey came to see our king to warn us of a terrible threat. There is a darkness rising. When the king refused to hear her, he tried to kill her mate. She defended herself with honour. King Bryant used our magic to try to kill her. When has an elf’s magic light been used to take a life?”
“Never,” came the combined whispers of the guards at the door, and I realised I hadn’t know the king’s name, nor had I asked for the prince’s. Great manner,s Des.
“Exactly, NEVER!” the prince continued. “The elfish light is pure and good. King Bryant was overdue to release his rule. He broke the promise of power. The fey will not be punished for saving our people.”
I stood up and lowered the sword to my side.
The elfish prince walked over to me. He held in his hand a conjured bottle, then opened his mouth in a yawn.
Only, it wasn’t a yawn.
The mist that he had swallowed swam at the back of his mouth. He pursed his lips together and brought the bottle to them. Whistling almost, he blew just enough of the mist into the bottle then he ran his tongue over the top, sealing it inside.
Gross!
“The weapon in your hand is now yours, a gift from our people, and this,” he said holding up the vial. “Your elfish dust, a gift from a king,” he said, smiling and handing me the bottle. “We will remove the ban on fey entry to our world, and we will prepare for war. If the mouth is opened, we will fight with you.”
“Thank you. I forgot to ask, but what’s your name?”
“Blake. King Blake now, thanks to you.”
“Thank you, King Blake.” I opened my magical bag and slid the sword down into it. “If the old king is dead does that mean the protection he held over your people is gone?”
More whispers broke out behind us but a quick glance from King Blake silenced them.
“Yes, his wards are gone, but I expect they were failing anyway. Your daughter’s entrance, her creation of a portal that broke through the wards around the king, and then the dwarves gaining you entry through our gold room, all diminished his power. I will find another way to protect the people. But they are skilled fighters. They will be able to defend themselves should the need arise.”
I saw one of the Nazieth helping Jax to his feet and rushed over to him, enveloping him in an enormous hug.
“Oww,” he squeaked into my ear. “Is something on my head?”
I released him a little and saw Madel trying to balance atop his hair. It looked like she was dancing on him, but then I saw what she was doing. She was avoiding the blood.
“Come here,” I said to her, and she smirked and jumped down onto my shoulder, nestling under the strap of my top again.
“Jax are you alright?” I asked, moving him to arm’s length to get a look. Half his face was covered with blood, but it looked like it was drying up. So wherever it was flowing from must have started to heal. I brought my energy forwards and pushed it into him. His other eye closed and the puffiness of the injured one started to shrink.
It was working.
The Nazieth looked on. No one knew about my ability to help heal. No one but Jax and my dad. He had made me promise not to tell anyone, but Jax needed my help.
“No one can know of this,” I said to the head of the Ninth. He nodded and looked at each of his team for their acknowledgment.
Another moment later Jax’s face was still covered in blood but he was healed. He looked past me and frowned.
“What?” I asked, turning to see the prince’s eyes wide, mouth agape.
“You can heal?”
“I can heal the fey, yes.”
“Oh.” His face fell.
“Why, what is it?”
“Are you sure it’s only the fey who you heal?”
“Not exactly, I haven’t tried with anyone else. Why, are you hurt?” I moved forwards worried that he might have been hurt saving me from King Bryant.
“No, no. Not me.”
More whispers.
“Who?” I asked again.
Out from behind the throne stumbled several female elves. Each of them bruised, some bleeding from semi-open wounds. Some limped. Others held their arms or hands in pain.
“Where the hell did they come from and what the hell happened to them?”
“The king’s bedchambers are behind the throne.”
“They were all in there? Did King Bryant do this to them?”
“They are his breeding elves. He saw fit to do as he pleased with any he pleased. I will not be taking up such a practice.”
“Good to know. Look, I will try to help them,” I said, stepping forwards. “But if it doesn’t work, you can take them to Sayeesies, the equillis have returned.”
“You let the unicorns back in?”
“Of course, it’s their home. They should never have been expelled.”
“You are a great leader, Desmoree.”
“Des. Please just call me Des. And no, you are the great leader. I’m just a fairy trying to find her daughter, while collecting some weird fabled crap to save her own skin.”
“You are far more than that, and you know it.”
I shrugged and took the hands of the first female elf. She winced at my touch but I felt my magic rise.
This was going to work.
12
THE TRANSFER OF MAGIC mostly worked. Their injuries almost fully healed, but their spirits were still pretty broken. Seeing the headless body of their abuser probably helped a little.
We left them in the throne room, King Blake taking us to the gateway that previously opened directly into Sayeesies. I told him that we were going to the human realm, not back to Sayeesies, but he wanted to show me that he meant wha
t he said.
The gateway looked just like the one in Sayeesies. Its stone surround and black onyx centre. Only there was silver script across the onyx surface of this one.
The king reached out his hand and the script turned to dust and entered his body the same way the king’s magic had.
“That’s actually pretty gross,” I said as the last of it entered his mouth. He closed it to smile at me.
“You can use this to get home, or get to the human realm. It works as yours does back in Sayeesies.”
I thanked him and looked down at Madel.
“Is Ava still there?”
“She behind candy horses, alone but not alone.”
“What does that mean?” Jax asked, taking my hand.
“Madel, is she at the park?”
“She’s in the park, yes. She’s hiding in the park with the pretty horses.”
“Pretty horses? Do you mean a carousel?”
“Yes, pretty horses go round and round and up and down, all but one. One sad house doesn’t dance with the others, doesn’t see the children, doesn’t see Ava hiding behind him.”
How the hell are we going to find what park she is at? Wait, horse can’t see and doesn’t dance. There was a carousel at the City Park in Enmore that I took a few shots of, it was partially restored, but they ran out of money and one of the horses didn’t get fixed. He didn’t move up and down like the others and some kids had scratched out the paint on his eyes. I remember thinking he looked super creepy.
“Jax, I think Ava is hiding in the centre of City Park. Madel, how do I get the portal to open up as close to her as we can?”
“The door is over the bridge. You can open the door if you see it. Go, Des, open the door.”
I thought for a moment. Talking to Madel was not unlike talking with the seers. Broken sentences and riddles. See it. So I have to focus on where I want to go, but there needs to be a door there or I will be taken to the next closest breech, which could be god knows where. Okay, so the bridge. There are two in the park. One leads over a bike track that runs the length of the park. The other over a stream at the side. The stream is closer to Ava.
Uniting The Fabled Page 14
