by Mindy Hayes
“Don’t underestimate him,” Kai whispered, low enough for only me to hear.
I stayed hidden, but lifted my eyes around Kai to see Favner. Kai couldn’t honestly expect me to just sit back now. Favner stepped away from the shadow of the tree followed by two large shapes. The sound of something being dragged through the leaves trailed behind him. Liam and Owen came into view, devilish sneers formed on their malicious faces, hanging back, flanking Favner’s sides.
“Liam. Owen,” Favner said shortly. That was all the instruction they needed. They came around one side of him and threw a body to the ground in between Favner and Kai. She grunted as she hit the dead leaves.
I felt guilty for heaving a sigh of relief that it wasn’t Declan.
“Thank you,” Allura snapped, but with half the bite I knew she could have dished, “for your never failing kindness.” She spit on their feet, which rewarded her with a harsh smack from Liam. She choked on her breath, spitting blood, and warily sat up, tucking her legs underneath her and glaring at him.
“Allura,” Kai breathed.
Allura’s beautiful face was broken and bruised. Her thin headband, once naturally circling her head like a halo now broken, spilling her dreads over her tormented amber eyes. Filthy and torn, her clothes were barely draped around her body to cover her up.
“Look what I found wandering in my woods.” Favner spoke as if he was talking about the weather and smiled as if he won a prize.
“Kai,” she wept. “I’m so sorry. He was going to hurt Violet.” The words fell rapidly from her split lips. “I couldn’t let him touch our little—”
Favner’s palm met Allura’s cheek with a crack and she fell to the ground, but this time she didn’t make an attempt to get back up. I’m not sure she could if she tried.
“Don’t touch her,” Kai fumed. I could practically hear the grinding of his teeth. He made a step forward but stopped, seeming torn. Go to his sister or protect the future of Faylinn? From behind him I could only hear his shallow breaths and feel the heat radiating from his back, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.
Favner disregarded Kai’s words. “Kai, aren’t you going to properly introduce me to your young lady friend? I do believe it is the only respectful thing to do for your king. You can’t simply hide my subjects from me.”
I could feel Kai tense. He hesitated for a few moments, but thought better than to keep me hidden and begrudgingly moved to the side of me.
Favner grinned, vile. “You are beautiful aren’t you? No wonder you’ve been able to take my best guards away from me. Who wouldn’t want to protect someone as precious as you?”
My voice failed me.
“Kai,” Favner prompted once more. I wasn’t sure what more he could want from him. He’d already taken his sister, displayed her beaten body at his feet.
Kai roughly cleared his throat. “Favner, this is Calliope. Daughter of Finnian,” he introduced me with venom in his tone. It wasn’t hard to detect it, but Favner was oblivious to his disgust. Or he was unconcerned with Kai’s feelings toward him.
Favner scanned every inch of my body, inspecting me in a way that made me feel naked. He stripped me of my confidence, making me feel smaller than a pixie. His eyes were different from Declan’s and Kai’s. They were different from Allura’s. The three of them had bright eyes, pleasing to look at, while Favner’s were dark yellow like oozing pus. I felt nothing but evil seething from them.
“What have they been hiding from me for all of these years?” he mused, tapping the corner of his mouth.
Kai made a growling sound in the back of his throat, something very inhuman.
“No wonder you weren’t taken care of when you should have been. I can’t say that I blame Declan now.” He licked his dark red stained lips and bit his lower lip. “You’re simply too divine to toss away. I would certainly hate to have to dispose of you now.”
I could tell it took everything for Kai to hold his ground. He wavered on his feet, debating his next move, but kept me in his sight.
Favner continued, “So let’s compromise, shall we? I have a proposition. You interested, precious?” I didn’t respond to him. I knew he was going to propose whatever he pleased no matter what I said. “Rule by my side.” He held his hand out to me, trying to entice me forward.
“And if I say no?” My voice came out confident, not at all as shaky or unsure as I felt.
“I’ll simply finish the job that should have been done years ago,” he declared my death indifferently, as if my seventeen years of life meant nothing. “No difference to me. It would just seem a terrible waste of you.” He clucked his tongue. “But the choice is yours.”
I looked up to Kai, but his eyes were set on Favner. His fists still clenched at his sides so tightly they shook. His jaw tightened as he tried to keep his composure. He never blinked as if blinking might cause him to miss something.
I looked down at Allura splayed over the soil and dead leaves, who still hadn’t moved. My fate would be hers or worse if I didn’t respond in his favor.
“If I say yes?” Favner was getting closer to me, but I kept my feet planted. I wouldn’t show fear or weakness. I wouldn’t let him see how terrified I felt inside, though my revulsion was clawing me from the inside out.
“Then my dear, we’ll ride off into the shadow of trees to reign as the King and Queen of Faylinn and live happily ever after. We’ll drink, eat and be as merry as we’d like.” He reached out a hand and twirled a piece of my hair around his fingers. “It feels just as soft as it looks.” His metallic breath fell across my face, painfully bitter. “The things I could do to you to change your world.” His words slithered through my veins, sly as a snake waiting to strike.
That was the last straw and I was airborne, flying backward and landed in a mess of wet leaves. Kai had shoved me out of the way. I watched from the ground as he towered over Favner. But Favner was unafraid.
“Back down, Kai,” Favner ordered. But Kai stood unafraid, planting his feet more determinedly.
Favner’s face contorted. He snarled and his eyes grew more intense as he focused on Kai. A small triumphant smirk turned the corners of Kai’s mouth as if he had just discovered a dirty little secret. And then he flew at Favner.
“Liam. Owen.” There were no other directions, but it was the only piece of encouragement they needed. Before Kai could reach Favner, Owen snatched up Kai’s arms, pinning them behind his back while Liam landed a blow to his face. I flinched.
“Unwise decision, my friend,” Favner said, without a hint of emotion.
Kai stared up at Liam, without a trace of fear. Liam hit him in the stomach and Kai doubled over, letting out a heaving grunt. Owen’s booming laughter rose above Kai’s muffled groans, revealing in the power they had over him.
“Please! Please, stop!” I begged.
“Is that a yes, precious?” Favner didn’t take his eyes off of Kai.
My eyes shifted between Kai and Favner. Kai met my gaze, agony contorting his face. “Don’t,” he mouthed, blood dripping from the corner of his split lip.
I shook my head at Kai absently.
“I’m running out of patience, precious. You have one minute to take me up on my offer and then the deal will no longer be an option.”
Liam’s fist met the other side of Kai’s face and landed another strike to his stomach. I winced against the sound that seeped from Kai’s lips.
Where was Declan? I needed Declan now and then my thoughts finally connected. “Declan Roderic,” I said in barely a whisper.
“What was that, my dear?”
“Yes,” I choked, trying to buy my time. What if he didn’t come?
“I’m sorry, what was that?”
“Yes,” I said firmly, my eyes darting from Kai’s crumpled figure to Favner. “Yes, I will be your queen, just make them stop. Please!”
Liam slipped in another punch before Favner stopped the torment. And it was over. Kai dropped to his knees, coughing. “No, Calliope.
Don’t.” He coughed up a pool of red liquid. “I’d rather die.”
I ran to be by his side and put my hands to his battered face, willing him to heal.
“Calliope, come,” Favner commanded.
I didn’t respond. I was concentrating too hard on repairing Kai’s battered face. He was just beginning to heal. His indigo eyes poured into mine, looking so conflicted. “I’m fine,” he murmured, holding his stomach.
“No, you’re not.”
“Calliope, don’t provoke him,” Kai faintly pleaded.
“I’m not.”
“Calliope,” Favner barked. “Come or Kai won’t be so fortunate the second time around.”
“Go, Calliope.” I hesitated. “Now,” he said firmly and grimaced.
I exhaled shakily and got to my feet, savoring one last glance at Kai who wasn’t nearly ready enough to defend himself. Glaring at Favner, I walked to stand in front of him, as close as I could force myself to be. Liam and Owen hovered by Kai, ready and waiting to act at the slightest of Favner’s commands.
“You heard her, Kai,” Favner said, all too pleased. “We’ll be a fine pair, you and I, precious.” He approached me, closing the gap and encroaching on my personal space. He took my hand in his, slowly lifting it to his mouth. I suppressed the impulse to flinch as his cold lips kissed the top of my hand. His devious eyes watched my reaction as he pressed his lips to my hand again. I took a deep breath, struggling to keep my face blank. Declan wasn’t coming. My fate was sealed.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“I think it would be wise for you to take a step back, Favner,” Declan’s voice boomed from behind us. His brawny figure appeared out of the darkness and stood close to where Kai kneeled.
Favner snickered. “Declan, my oh so faithful Keeper. You are good, but not that good. Attacked by the Rymidon Kingdom,” he scoffed. “How did I not see the lies before? Did you really think you could hide her from me forever?”
Declan took in the scene around him. He gritted his teeth when he saw Kai. As his eyes wandered across the ground they found Allura’s still body and immediately grew wide. He sucked in a husky breath of air, but instantly collected himself.
“She’s the rightful heir,” Declan dismissed Favner’s previous words. “Which means she’s the rule maker. She’s the one everyone will have to answer to. You’ll just be one of her pawns, a puppet to control.”
“Oh, you think?” Favner’s eyes shifted over me and rested steadily on my eyes. “Calliope, come,” he summoned. I couldn’t defy him. Kai’s body had had enough and I couldn’t bear to see Declan’s fate turn out the same. I looked apologetically at Declan, trying to convey to him just how much it pained me to obey him. I moved my feet begrudgingly to be near his side. Favner sneered, pleased with himself and slipped his arm around my waist, possessively yanking me to his side. “That’s it, precious. I knew we would get along marvelously.”
I could feel Favner’s eyes on me, but I couldn’t force myself to look at him. How could such a striking man be so revolting? My skin crawled where his arm touched me. His fingertips brushed the bare skin at my waist, making me want to cringe away. I involuntarily shuddered.
“Calliope,” Declan urged. “Use your Supremacy.”
I didn’t know how. I never knew when I was doing it. It just came to me. “I can’t,” I said, regrettably.
“Yes, you can,” he insisted.
“Enough,” Favner said. He looked to Owen and Liam and they slowly approached Declan with evil boiling from their eyes. Liam lifted his fist quicker than my eyes could process, but Declan sidestepped and ducked away from the oncoming blow.
“You didn’t think I was going to make it that easy for you, did you, Liam?” Declan taunted. Liam swung again and missed.
“Don’t get cocky, Declan. I’ve beat you once, I can do it again.”
Declan smirked. Declan never smirked.
“Join the fun, Owen,” Declan goaded, keeping his eyes focused on Liam. “I promise to go easy on you.”
“Declan, don’t be stupid!” I cried, wanting to reach out to him, but I was glued to Favner’s side under his solid grip.
I should have kept my mouth shut. At my voice, Declan attempted to shoot me a reassuring look, but that gave Liam a perfect opening to land a shot. Declan’s face jerked to the side, but he didn’t cry out. He didn’t have to. His face said it all.
“Lesson number one, precious. This is what happens when fae disobey strict orders,” Favner said callously, but I could hear a smile in his voice. He was relishing every minute of Declan’s suffering.
It was a rough dance as the three of them dove, leapt and struck one another. Declan was surprisingly quick, but not always quick enough. I shifted my gaze between the scuffle and the ground, wincing at every strike taken.
“Please,” I pleaded. “Call them off.” But Favner made no move to stop. He simply knocked his head back with pleasure. “Let him go,” I begged. Tears streamed down my face as helplessness overcame me. I searched deep within me. I’d done it before. My supremacy had come so easily in the past. I never had to think about it. Why wouldn’t it come now?
Favner aggressively snatched me up into his arms. “You’re mine now,” he seethed, his warm breath sweeping across my cheek.
I jerked in his arms to free myself, but his hold was too tight, too strong. His fingertips dug into my arm and leg as he began to sprint away.
I shrieked for help and then we were falling to the ground. I tumbled out of his arms and a boulder met my head. Numbness was all I felt before the pain hit me. I blinked back the water in my eyes and attempted to sit up. Wetness slithered through my fingers when I raised my hand to steady my head. I brought my fingers in front of my bleary eyes to see red trickling down the skin. Out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of Kai hovering over Favner.
“She isn’t yours to take,” Kai warned, his hand clasped around Favner’s neck, pinning him to the earth.
Favner grunted. “She doesn’t deserve my place. She couldn’t handle the politics that come with being the ruler. She might be the heir, but she knows nothing of our kingdom. She knows nothing of the fae,” he spat.
“And you do?” Kai snarled. “Don’t act as if you care. Don’t you dare pretend to know the first thing about our kind. She is already twice the leader you ever were.”
Favner released a strangled growl of laughter.
I nervously searched for the other scuffle, but when I found them no more than twenty feet away, Declan was no longer a part in the struggle. Liam and Owen stood dumbfounded searching their surroundings for Declan but, when they saw Kai’s chokehold on Favner, they sprang into action, flying toward Kai.
“Don’t move!” I shouted, freezing the guards in place. “Stand back!” They slowly stepped away from Kai, glowering at me with their vivid fae eyes.
I did it. I did it!
“How did she do that?” Owen grumbled, dumbstruck, to Liam. Liam let out a huff of air, crossing his arms firmly over his chest, shooting daggers from his eyes at me.
I turned my attention back to Favner and Kai on the soil. When I saw the cream blade in Kai’s hand I knew he had his dagger. It was pressed against Favner’s throat.
“You don’t have it in you,” Favner said, so sure of himself. “Neither did Eldon. Like father like son.”
“Don’t you dare say his name,” Kai sneered, pain crushing his voice.
“Eldon was a loyal one. Loyal to the very end,” Favner taunted. “Just not to me.”
Declan materialized at my side and moved to be alongside Kai while I watched from a safe distance. I’d never seen such a face on Kai before. His eyes burned with disdain. Would Kai actually kill him? It wasn’t as if Favner would bat an eyelash to killing either one of them. If Kai freed him there would be no peace. There would be no release from his power. The fae would continue to suffer under his reign, enduring every day imprisoned.
Before I caught sight of them, Liam and Owen had shifted fr
om where I bound them and were gaining on Kai. “Stop!” I demanded. And they did, but I wasn’t sure how long it was going to last. I couldn’t keep my concentration on them and watch Kai. Declan pulled back from Favner and drew his dagger, aiming it at Liam and Owen, securing their placement once more.
I had only taken my eyes off of Kai for one moment, but Favner had escaped his grasp and now stood toe to toe with him.
“Liam,” Favner bellowed.
My anger was beginning to surface. What a coward. I found myself walking toward them. “What, Favner? You can’t fight like a man? You have to use every power you possess to dominate in a struggle? You can’t fight Kai yourself?”
He shifted his stare from Kai to me. Never had a stare been so sharp. Then the back of his hand connected with my cheek and I fell to the earth. Immediately I knew why Allura hadn’t moved after Favner’s last blow. Numbness flowed from my head down through my limbs, paralyzing me, cutting off every breath of oxygen.
“No!” Kai shouted. “Get away from her!”
Wetness trailed down the side of my face, but I couldn’t move. I watched from the ground, only catching glimpses of their feet springing across the soil. The numbness gradually began to ebb and I clenched my eyes closed against the stinging, breathing in deep. I heard the clank of weapons. A gruff voice hollered in agony while another grunted in triumph, but there was no way for me to decipher which sound came from whom.
After gaining the strength to lift myself from the ground, I wiped the trickle slithering down my face. But it was no longer just a trickle. Crimson smeared my entire hand. I looked up and saw Kai and Favner in a swift dance as their feet vaulted from trunks and boulders, diving at one another, never quite making contact. Neither of them were marked or looked winded. I wasn’t sure that the grunts had come from them. I swiftly shifted my stare and discovered the other fight between Declan, Liam and Owen. Blood stained Declan’s sleeve, but he was still fighting fearlessly. He had overpowered two fae guards before. I prayed he could do it again.
After realizing I was smack-dab in the center of the action, I scurried back to get out of the way and watched the two battles unfold in front of me. Favner gained on Kai nearly landing a swipe to his face, but, thankfully, Kai was quick. He dodged every strike Favner made.
