by Meara Platt
“Melody, listen to me,” he said, taking her firmly into his arms. “I’ll protect you. I’ll do whatever it takes to …” He cursed again, and drawing her hard against his chest, crushed his mouth against hers in a kiss so hungry in its desperation that she thought she must dreaming. This strength of feeling wasn’t possible in a Fae. Cadeyrn had told her so himself.
Chapter Eleven
The Stone of Draloch was a massive blue stone, larger than any in the circle of stones Melody had once seen at Stonehenge. It stood in the center of an enormous hall built of white marble and surrounded by glistening lights that had no obvious source. The lights reminded her of moonlight, for they streamed down upon the stone in silver beams … perhaps starlight, she supposed, for they had a celestial sparkle to them as well, like white diamonds glittering against a dark sky.
Cadeyrn had described this special room as a Fae chamber of worship, used much as St. Lodore’s was used by residents of Borrowdale who often came to pray, though St. Lodore’s was much smaller. She imagined thousands of Fae standing shoulder-to-shoulder within its expansive columns, worshiping the monolith that held the key to their survival, or so they believed.
There was a warmth to the hall despite its stark magnificence, a warmth she no doubt felt because Cadeyrn was standing close to her, his arm protectively resting on the small of her back, for her near fainting spell a few hours earlier had left her shaken and still uncertain on her feet. It had been as though some unseen force had grabbed hold of her and spun her around and around, attempting to draw her … she didn’t know where. Had it been Lord Brihann attempting to drag her into his underworld? Or her own heart urging her to pull away from Cadeyrn and his Fae subjects before it was too late? But too late for what?
“May I approach it, Your Majesty?” Melody could see there were words inscribed in the stone, but she was standing too far away to read them. Her voice resounded through the empty hall, echoing through its vastness and off its imposing white columns.
“You may, if you wish. Why do you still address me so formally when we’re alone? I’ve given you permission to use my name.”
“It’s the majestic beauty of this place.” She turned to gaze at him, glad he continued to stand beside her, keeping his hold on her though she ached with embarrassment at the reason for it. Why had the strange pull she’d experienced at the vicarage made her lose control of her body and fall into a swoon in his arms? She hadn’t swooned when fighting demons or when running from Lord Brihann. Nor had she swooned when Cadeyrn had made love to her, though she’d moaned and clutched his solid shoulders, her breaths coming in short gasps and body catching fire as he’d spilled his seed inside her.
“You belong here,” she said, turning away from Cadeyrn’s assessing gaze before he read her wayward thoughts or saw that her cheeks were once again aflame, “but this place overwhelms me. I feel quite swallowed up by it.”
“You shouldn’t. You’re the reason for its existence.”
She shook her head and sighed. “I feel quite small and inconsequential.”
He let out a soft laugh. “Melody, you are never that.”
“May I touch the stone?” She was awed by the power emanating from it, but also eager to explore its source. As though in response to her question, the stone began to hum softly. Was it alive and listening to her?
Cadeyrn nodded. “You may.”
Melody wondered whether the hum was its way of communicating with Cadeyrn, but when she paused to study Cadeyrn’s expression, his eyes and the handsome curve of his lips gave nothing away. Cadeyrn’s hand slipped from the small of her back as she moved to the stone, but she didn’t immediately touch its surface, unsure whether it would burn hot, burn cold, or simply be tepid to the touch. She remained with her hand poised over the stone, hesitant to move forward or backward because she couldn’t bring herself to touch it or turn away.
Cadeyrn had given her permission to touch it.
He wouldn’t have done so if the stone posed a danger.
A calming warmth washed over her in that moment, and she realized that she would be safe from its luminous power. Cadeyrn was her protector and wouldn’t allow her to come to harm.
Cadeyrn tucked a finger under chin and tilted her face upward to meet his gaze. “Melody, why do you hesitate? Do you sense something is wrong?”
The stone was once again beginning to hum softly, and she noticed out of the corner of her eye that his counselors had entered the hall and now stood beside the tall entry columns a respectful distance away from her and Cadeyrn. She was opening her mouth to assure him that all was well when suddenly the hum grew louder and intensified to a painfully sharp pitch. She put her hands over her ears to mute the noise. “Tell it to stop!”
“It is calling out to you. Respond to it, Melody. The Stone of Draloch will not harm you,” Cadeyrn assured.
She darted a step back when he reached out to draw her hands away from her ears. “It isn’t harmless to me.”
The sensations flowing through her were not as painful as soul catchers invading her body to eat her soul, but that gave her little relief. She sensed these pulsing waves of noise, waves as unpleasant as fingernails scratching across a chalk board, were meant to take control of her mind and body.
“Don’t resist, Melody. It’s offering its power to you.”
“It’s too much … too strong. It’s hurting me. My head feels like a volcano about to erupt.”
Cadeyrn caught her as she began to sink to her knees, holding her upright in his grasp as he turned to the stone and spoke words she didn’t understand. Whatever he said seemed to work, for the hum immediately died down.
Melody let out the pained breath she had been holding and allowed Cadeyrn to ease her hands off her ringing ears.
“Are you feeling any better?”
“I think so.”
He cast her a small, but concerned smile as his gaze ran up and down her body. His counselors, she noted, had moved closer and were now studying her as well. An uncomfortable silence descended on the hall, for they were all staring at her as though she were a zoo animal expected to perform tricks for the onlookers.
The hush quickly became oppressive and Melody realized that everyone was waiting for her to do something … waiting for her to touch the stone. Even the stone seemed to be exerting an invisible tug, urging her forward.
Touch me! Touch me and know your destiny!
She wasn’t afraid … wasn’t afraid … no, not in the least afraid, she assured herself and drew closer to read the inscription. “What language is this?”
Cadeyrn moved between her and the stone. “It’s ancient Fae.”
“Can you translate the words for me?”
“I promised I would,” he said with a bitter wistfulness in his tone that surprised Melody, “for it contains the secret that must be revealed to you.” His gaze remained on her as he began a melodic intonation of the words written in another time … words he knew by memory, but they made no sense to her, for he spoke them in the language of the Fae. His voice carried easily throughout the hall, and as he spoke, Melody noticed that more of his subjects entered the hall.
Had the stone’s sharp hum been a summons to worship?
And was Cadeyrn now delivering the Fae sermon?
To her novice ears, it sounded as though he was repeating the same verse, each time a little louder and with a heightened sense of urgency, each time with a wakening passion that came from somewhere deep within him, a lost passion of ancient times when Fae still knew what it meant to love and hope and feel.
The hall was full by the time he ended his recitation.
Melody’s heart skipped a beat, then another. Was she making a mistake to trust Cadeyrn? Should she run away? No, she decided at once. There was no place to hide, and even if she did find a safe place to hide in his castle, what then? She would still be trapped, for she didn’t know how to move through Fae portals. She couldn’t even see them to move through them.
Besides, his loyal subjects would stop her if she ever tried to escape.
Melody looked around again. At first, this hall had seemed vast and empty, but now it felt cramped and hot. At least a thousand Fae stood within its columned expanse, all staring at her with an intensity she found most disturbing.
Cadeyrn raised his arms and resumed his incantation, this time in English.
In darkest hour shall bloom the mortal flower
With Fae king shall she lie, in love awakened
For Fae king shall she die, in love eternal
In fiery death shall she conquer the dragon’s darkness
And in her ashes shall Fae king triumph
To reign glorious in the Garden of Light
Melody took a step back, her mind racing furiously to make sense of the verse. In darkest hour shall bloom the mortal flower. The Fae believed her to be their mortal flower, that belief reinforced by the Stone of Draloch as it hummed to life. That part was easy. The prophecy was clear.
With Fae king shall she lie, in love awakened. She had lain with Cadeyrn, and they’d … he’d … yes, he’d awakened her love. But she didn’t love him! Not yet, anyway … she hoped not. She was safe as long as she refused to love him.
For Fae king shall she die, in love eternal. No! One coupling, no matter that her heart had soared and body still craved his touch, could not sustain eternal love!
“Melody, be calm,” Cadeyrn said, once more placing his hand on the small of her back as though the simple gesture would keep her from becoming hysterical in front of his subjects. Oh, she could put on a magnificent display, screaming and wailing and begging not to die. What would they think of their mortal queen then?
No! She wasn’t their queen yet.
She would never be!
“The Prophecy is a riddle, Melody. You must not interpret the words as they are written.”
She let out a shaky laugh and took another step back. “Mustn’t I? I’m sorry, but I’m no great philosopher to spend my days dreaming of other possibilities. Death is death. There can be no other interpretation of those words. Oh, I think I’m going to be ill. This isn’t real. This can’t be happening. I won’t die for you.”
“Nor do I wish that fate for you.”
She put a hand to her roiling stomach and let out another mirthless laugh. “But you do. You must. To think, I was almost killed by Lord Brihann today! How disappointed you must have been to find that I’d survived. Lord, I’ve been so foolish. So trusting and foolish. All of it makes sense now. I called out to you for hours and you didn’t respond. You purposely weren’t there to save me when he attacked. You were watching, waiting for him to burn me alive. And in her ashes shall Fae king triumph.”
Cadeyrn drew his lips in a thin, tense line. “There is no honor in allowing an innocent to die.”
“But I must die,” she accused, her voice sounding shrill even to her own ears. “I must die a fiery death if you are to reign glorious in your kingdom of light.”
“Garden of Light,” he said between clenched teeth. “The Prophecy—”
“Do not tell me again that it speaks in riddles. The words are plain as day. You bedded me,” she said in a harsh whisper, hoping her voice would not resound throughout the hall. Her cheeks began to flame as she glanced across the sea of faces and realized all Fae must have heard, though not a one dared laugh or sneer.
Indeed, they made not a sound, not a move, as though they were all under a spell cast by the monolith that continued to exert an irresistible force over her. The desire to splay her hands across its rough stone and absorb its mysteries remained overwhelming, but she fought against the dangerous urge with all her might.
“The passion you felt during our coupling was real,” Cadeyrn said quietly. “I couldn’t have saved you from the soul catchers if it wasn’t. Our hearts connected. I know you love me, Melody. I know it. So does the Stone of Draloch. You can’t hide the truth from it or me. Stop denying the truth to yourself.”
Her heart felt as though it might shatter into a thousand pieces. “You ask too much of me. If I admit my love for you, I’ll die.”
“No, Melody. Your strength is great because of the love you’ve freely given me, not because you held it back. Place your hand on the stone and accept the gifts it wishes to grant you, that it will continue to grant you because it knows you love me.”
“And what of you? You’ve held back. You don’t love me.” She glanced once more across the hall of faces still staring at her as she openly argued with their king. What did they think of her now? Or were they so numbed to all feeling that they simply did not care?
“Would it make you feel better if I told you that I did? Love you, that is.”
“But you don’t. I know that Fae cannot feel.”
He drew her perilously close to the stone. “Let’s do this together, your hand in mine. We are one and must remain united no matter what comes between us.”
She snorted. “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one destined to roast like a pig over a flame.”
He drew her hard against his body, wrapping her in his embrace so that his warmth and strength surrounded her. He was so confident, so certain they were meant to be together. But he didn’t love her … probably took her into his arms to keep her trapped perilously close to that infernal stone.
“Melody,” he said in a whisper, “my body was consumed by fire during our coupling and all I could think of was my need to be inside you, to know your body and claim your heart.”
Heat crept up her cheeks. “I won’t discuss this in front of your subjects—”
“They can’t hear us,” he said with a wave of his hand, as though lowering a glass wall between them and the crowd, a casual reminder of his powerful magic.
“Not even your council?” For they had magical powers as well and were very protective of Cadeyrn.
“No one can hear us. It’s just you and me.”
“And a thousand onlookers.”
“Just you and me,” he insisted. “Look at me. Talk to me, Melody.”
She nodded. “Then let me give you some distressing truths. I will admit that a fire still rages inside of me. I wish it didn’t, but I can’t seem to make it go away. However, the fire no longer rages inside of you. It flared in you only for a moment and quickly died away. Don’t deny it. I see the truth in your eyes. I do not understand the significance of fire, only that it is exquisitely painful to the touch and, when allowed to burn free, will destroy everything in its path.”
He frowned. “But when controlled, it is the provider of warmth and food, the giver of life. That fire burning within you is such a fire … a fire of love.”
“How is it significant?” She refused to admit that she loved Cadeyrn. She didn’t love him, no matter that every Fae now standing in the hall believed she did.
Cadeyrn waved his hand again, as though removing the transparent wall that she hadn’t seen in the first place.
“Melody, your fire of love burns hotter than any Dragon Lord’s destructive fire of hate. I dared not dream of this moment, dared not think it possible, but a miracle has happened … you, Melody. You’re my miracle. With you by my side, I can defeat Lord Brihann.”
A murmur rose from the crowd, and in a sudden, great wave, they bowed down to her. “To our queen!” one shouted, followed by another’s shout, “To our savior queen!”
“To our savior queen!” the crowd repeated and began to drum their swords upon the marble floor.
Melody’s heart began to pound. Cadeyrn had called her a miracle, had given the Fae new hope, and they were responding with a fervor that surprised even Cadeyrn, chanting and pounding on the floor and refusing to stop until he raised his hands and ordered silence.
His subjects instantly obeyed, for there was no mistaking his regal voice of authority. He turned her to face him and said, “Melody, take my hand. I will not let harm come to you.”
And if I refuse? She dared not say the thought aloud for fear
of what the Fae might do to her.
“No one will harm you,” Cadeyrn assured, once again reading her expression. “If it is not to be, I will take you back to my bedchamber until daylight when it is safe to return you to the vicarage. I cannot force you to act against your will, but I hope that you’ll make the right decision.”
He placed her hand into his outstretched palm. “Will you touch the stone or do I take you back to the vicarage? The fate of a million Fae rests in your decision. It isn’t fair of me to place this burden on you, but there is no other way. Will you do it?”
Her brain screamed out a silent warning. Go home! Tell him to take you home!
“A simple yes or no will do, Melody. I’ll respect your decision. Either way—”
“Yes.” She’d come this far by listening to her heart and it seemed important to continue. “I’ll do it.”
There was a tenderness in Cadeyrn’s manner, a warmth in his soft gaze that simply melted her insides. However, mingled with his relief was a quiet torment, as though the secrets about to be revealed by the Stone of Draloch were as devastating for him as they would be for her.
“Together we’ll touch the Stone of Draloch and together we’ll live or die by its prophecy,” he said. “I make you this promise, Melody. I make this promise before all who are presently gathered in this hall. I make this promise upon the Stone of Draloch. I bind my heart, my life, to yours. Together, you and I, bound in love for eternity from this moment on.”
Melody gazed at him in confusion as the hall began to fill with cheers. Was Cadeyrn lying to her? To his people? The inscription was clear. Fae king shall reign glorious in the Garden of Light and that meant he would survive.
He raised their hands, for hers was still grasped in his, and held them within a hair’s breadth of the monolith. In the next moment, she realized he was waiting for her to take the final, fateful step and touch it.
“Why, Cadeyrn? Why doom your fate to mine?”
“Because it is written in the Prophecy.”
She cast him another look of confusion.
