The Iron Locket (The Risen King)

by Samantha Warren

  Aiofe nodded once and headed off through the woods, track the sprite's path as it darted between the trees. "Is David alright?" she asked as her grandfather trailed behind her.

  "He will be. He was hit with a rock, knocked out. But I think it looks worse than it is."

  Aiofe fell silent, vowing to get the sprite if it was the last thing she did. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she was overreacting, but her body thrummed with adrenaline and she pushed on. A flash of green caught her eye and she took off at a run.

  "Aiofe, wait!"

  Ignoring her grandfather's pleas, she swerved around tree trunks and crashed through bushes, following the little pale body. She would not let the sprite escape. She hesitated only briefly when it disappeared into a patch of briars. The thorns tore at her clothing and tugged at her hair, but she pushed on. Her grandfather's shouts echoed behind her, growing faint, but the glimpses of bright green ahead urged her on.

  "Aiofe!"

  Aloysius's last shout was drowned out by a loud boom that echoed through Aiofe's head like the ringing of hammer. The world flashed white, blinding her completely, and she fell to her knees, her hands pressed over her ears. Blinking rapidly, her vision slowly cleared, bringing the world back into focus. She still knelt in a briar patch, that was clear, but something had changed. She could hear the clang of metal upon metal and numerous voices shouting, mingled with the cries of those in pain. Standing up, she worked her jaw to clear the ringing in her ears as she worked her way through the rest of the thorns to the edge of the bushes.

  The sight that greeted her made her eyes go so wide they hurt. Stretched out before her was a battlefield unlike any she had ever seen before. Faeries of all shapes and sizes clashed against one another, the spilt blood mingling to form a gruesomely vivid rainbow of colors. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the emerald sprite she had been chasing disappear into the fray, but she stood where she was, rooted to her spot out of fear and wonder.

  A loud yipping broke into her reverie. It was a sound that chilled her to the bone, reminding her of the many nights she had laid in bed as a child, shivering with fear as the coyotes in the woods chased down whatever unlucky animal they had found. She knew that whatever made that sound now wasn't a coyote. It was ten times worse, maybe a hundred, and so was its cry.

  She felt her insides clench and gripped her bow tightly, checking that it was properly nocked as a pack of large, skeletal red dogs broke from the battle and surrounded her. She raised her bow and aimed, but held back. She was hemmed in, unable to run. They could tear her apart in seconds and there would be nothing she could do to stop them.

  An elegant white horse trotted up behind the dogs, snorting steam as it pranced and pawed. On its back was one of the most beautiful women Aiofe had ever seen. She had plump red lips, long brown hair, and a look that said she was gorgeous and she knew it. The creatures broke apart, letting the horse through. The woman steered it up to Aiofe and looked down at the red head.

  "Well, what do we have here..."

  *~*~*

  The

  Hunted

  *~*~*

  *~*~*

  FOURTEEN

  *~*~*

  Arthur's blood sang in his veins as the thrill of battle swept over him. He slashed at faeries on either side of him, his focus narrowing while his eyes darted over the heads below him until they settled on the black hair of the faery maiden Drakka. She was surrounded by short beasts with red skin, long pointed tails, and claws as sharp as scythes. Slamming his heels into the sides of his steed, Arthur shouted a wordless cry and plunged through the battling creatures around him. Most of them scrambled out of his way, but one unlucky faery was caught beneath his horse's heavy hooves, its gurgling cry cut short as blue matter spattered the grass beneath its crushed body.

  As they neared the circle of red and black, Arthur felt his steed's muscles bunch. Leaning forward, he gripped the reins tightly, just as the beast shoved itself off the ground, kicking up clumps of dirt and grass behind him. Even as the horse's front hooves touched down inside the circle of small red creatures, its back hooves lashed out, smashing into the face of the closest. It crumpled instantly into a heap, its head a mass of pulp. Arthur leapt from the horses back, slashing at another of the creatures just as it darted in to tear at Drakka's calf. The faery spared Arthur a quick glance, the flash of surprise lighting her eyes when she noticed her attacker falling from his sword.

  "I had it," she said, her voice steady as she swiped at a little red body that darted in at her. The creature bared a mouth full of shark teeth as her blade nicked its shoulder.

  "I'm sure you did," Arthur said as he smashed another head with the hilt of his sword. "But I was bored and you looked like you were having too much fun."

  Drakka grunted in amusement as she pressed her back against Arthur's. Together they spun, working in sync to fend off the pack of vicious creatures.

  "What are these things?" Arthur stifled a groan of pain as sharp teeth sank into his lower arm. The creature latched on, its jaws denting the armor as its claws found skin unprotected by anything more than cloth. He shook his arm, trying to dislodge the thing unsuccessfully.

  The comforting weight of the faery princess against his back disappeared momentarily as she spun around, her blade slicing through Arthur's attacker and stopping just shy of his own thigh. With a satisfied smirk, she ripped the sword from the falling body and returned to her previous position, just in time to spear another of the creatures in the gut.

  "Blood whelps," she said with a growl. "Nasty things. They run in packs and feed like... Do you know what a hyena is? Duck."

  Arthur doubled himself over as half of a blood whelp went flying overhead, spilling black innards and red goo everywhere. "No, I don't know what a hyena is," he said as he straightened. He looked around at the pile of bodies surrounding him. His horse had taken out a few more of the creatures and Drakka was finishing off the only one remaining that was still capable of fighting.

  "They're scavengers, mostly. Feeding off the weak and injured, or stealing from others when they can't get their own. Blood whelps make hyenas look like saints."

  Arthur laughed. "They consider you weak? I would hate to fight you when you are not."

  Drakka tossed him a smirk as a group of his knights rode up to him accompanied by Zela. Tristan had a small cut on his cheek and blood pooled on the cloth just under Percival's shoulder, but they were otherwise intact. Lancelot jumped down from his horse, taking up a position of guard beside Arthur. Balan and Balin flanked Tristan on their horses, both looking in different directions, their blades still drawn.

  "Fairing well, sir?" Tristan asked as he nocked an arrow and sank it into one of the blood whelps still squirming on the ground.

  Arthur wiped the blood off his blade with a cloth he had tucked into his belt. "Just fine, Tristan. How is the fight elsewhere?"

  "We are holding steady. The enemy's soldiers are not well trained and the queens' armies are some of the best fighters I have seen. Our opponents fall easily, and although they are numerous, I do not see them lasting very long at this rate. They will soon need to fall back and regroup."

  "Very good. Let--"

  Off to the east, the sky brightened for a brief moment to an opaque white and a sharp crack rang out across the land. Drakka narrowed her eyes as she stared at where the strange lightening had flashed, suspicion and worry sitting heavily on her brow.

  "What is it?" Arthur stepped up beside the black-haired faery, concerned at the break in her normally unshakable exterior.

  "Someone or something has entered Faery, most likely without permission. Why they would do so in the middle of battle, I do not know. It could be reinforcements for the enemy."

  Arthur frowned. "Tristan, take a few of the knights and go check it out, please."

  A booming howl blotted out Tristan's response, causing the ground to vibrate beneath their feet.

  "A mountain troll" came Drakka's snarled a
nswer to Arthur's unasked question.

  Arthur followed her outstretched blade. Bodies were flying through the air as something of enormous size plunged through the crowd, tossing anything it saw as an obstruction out of its way. A bulging blue head quickly came into view, followed by two gigantic arms. He glanced back to Tristan. "Go, quickly."

  "But, sir...."

  "We will be fine. Go."

  With a swift nod, Tristan spun his horse around. "Percival, Balan, Balin, with me."

  "I'll come, too." Zela tossed Percival a wink, making the young man blush fiercely. "Good luck with the troll, Drakka. Try not to break a nail." The southern princess's laugh tinkled back to them as the group took off across the field.

  Arthur clenched his jaw as his knights disappeared into the opposite direction and turned his attention back to the troll. Lancelot squared up beside him, placing himself unconsciously in front of his king. Raising his sword, he sent a cockeyed grin at Drakka. "Let us have some fun, shall we?"

  *~*~*

  Kane snarled as he thrust his sword into yet another of the attackers. For years he had been working up to this moment, backstabbing, manipulating, even killing members of his own family, and all for what? Leanansidhe was treating him like just another of her worthless minions, tossed into battle without a care in Faery for their well being. He gritted his teeth and emitted a throaty shout as he swung around, his blade slicing clean through the neck of a faery, sending blond ringlets raining to the ground.

  Kane stopped and cocked his head at the rocking mass of red and gold. That one looked almost like one of the noble boys he had gone to classes with as a child. The prince scoffed as he kicked it, sending the dead lump rolling into the battle surrounding him, memories of being forced to mingle with such trash fueling his anger. He raised his weapon, ready to bring it down on the back of an emerald sprite who was sprinting past.

  "Kane, come." Leanansidhe sat on her horse, her white leather armor spotless, her long brown hair flowing around her head in the light breeze.

  The faery prince's nose curled up and he pulled himself to his full height, a retort rolling across his tongue. Then he saw the glitter in her eyes, the knowing smirk on her face. His lips pressed together, bottling the hatred inside him. She wouldn't get to him. Not this time. He whistled sharply and a black steed barreled through the bodies. As it approached, he reached a gloved hand out, gripping the mane tightly to swing himself up. The horse did not slow, but simply followed Lea as she spun and sprinted across the ground.

  He could hear the yipping of those damned banewolves. They reminded him very much of the timid dogs that ran through the woods near--. He stopped the thought. Now was not the time to get pulled back into memories, into years long past that could not return. He smashed his heels into his horse's flanks, drawing blood and a scream from the animal. It tossed its mane in anger, but pressed on, pulling up just behind Lea.

  The dogs broke into view. They were going crazy, yapping away like so many annoying insects, and they had something surrounded. Through the thicket of brown and gray, he caught glimpses of copper. Hair, he thought as his heart clenched.

  They reached the circle, the dogs parting unconsciously as Lea bore down on them from behind. Kane pulled his own horse to a stop outside the pack, his world swimming. Standing in the middle with her bow drawn was an image from the past. He shivered, memories from long ago flooding over him, threatening to drown him in his torment. Catching his tongue in his teeth, he bit down, forcing the blunt blades through the thin flesh, letting the bitter taste of blood pull him back to the present.

  With his heart still thumping so hard it hurt, Kane examined the terrified woman. No, it wasn't her, though it could have almost been a copy. The eyes were the same bright green, but the copper hair was a bit lighter, the face a bit fuller. A notion plucked at the back of his brain, clawing through the mush and matter to the forefront. With horror, he watched Lea approach the girl.

  *~*~*

  "Well, aren't you a sweet little thing?" The dark haired woman cocked her head and pursed her lips in thought . She leaned over, her dark eyes piercing right through Aiofe and making her skin crawl with discomfort. "Have we met before?"

  Aiofe's eyes went wide and she shook her head fiercely, sending loose strands of hair whipping around her face. "No, I don't think so."

  The faery woman slid from the back of her horse, her stare locked on Aiofe. She began walking before she hit the ground, as if the earth would simply rise to accommodate her. She stalked across the grass, her hips swaying so much Aiofe thought she would tip herself over. A clawed hand rose up and gripped Aiofe's chin uncomfortably, the pointed nails digging into her soft skin. The faery hunter gripped her bow tightly in her hands as her head was jerked back and forth like a show animal, fighting the urge to jam the arrow into the woman's thigh. Yanking her face from the clutches of the faery, she took a step back.

  "What do you want?" Aiofe growled through clenched teeth.

  The woman cackled with mirth as her face melted into a merry grin. "What do I want? Oh, darling. The real question is, what do you want? You see, you have trespassed on my land."

  Aiofe remained silent, her fingers going white as she realized the peril she was in.

  The lanky woman took a step forward, closing the gap between them. "Do you not realize where you are, my child?"

  Aiofe risked a glance to the side. The dogs were circling, still yipping quietly as saliva dripped from their hungry visages. A young man on scarlet horse stood just outside, watching them. His blond hair was cut short and his cheeks held the evidence of weeks without grooming. He stared at her with wide blue eyes and pale skin. A shock rippled through her as their eyes met. Terror and confusion warred with each other, vying for her full attention. She knew that face. She was sure of it.

  A sudden pain blossomed through Aiofe's skull and she cried out as her head was jerked around. The woman had her sharp fingers wrapped through Aiofe's hair, the nails digging into her skull. She forced the younger woman to look at her. "Don't ignore me, you insignificant whelp." She shook Aiofe's head violently to emphasize her point. "I said, do you know where you are?" The sweet honey in her voice was gone, replaced by poison that held the threat of death as it oozed from the red lips.

  Aiofe tried to shake her head but found it would not move. "No," she grunted instead. "No, I don't know where I am."

  With a scoff, the woman released Aiofe, tossing her to the ground. Aiofe fell to her hands and knees, the bow dropping beside her as she panted heavily, trying to regain her composure. Leather boots laced up to the knees planted themselves in front of her, one of the toes treading carelessly on her fingers, grinding them into the dirt. She stifled a cry of pain and forced herself to look up at the woman. Dark hair draped around her as the lady leaned over, bringing her nose close to Aiofe's.

  "You're in Faery." A sly smirk played across the woman's lips as she watched the news sink in.

  Aiofe pulled her fingers from under the boot and sat back. She glanced around again. Her heart raced. If the woman's claim was true, and Aiofe did not doubt that it was, she was in very real danger. She had been commissioned by the queen of faeries to hunt them, to seek them out and destroy them when they came through the portals to the human world. And now she had done the unthinkable. She had gone through to their world. She was treading on their land. She was now the hunted.

  "And now you understand. It's about time, child. But," the woman said as she turned on a heel and paced away a few steps. "I will give you a chance. If you--"

  A piercing cry ripped through the air as one of the dogs in Aiofe's peripheral vision tumbled to the ground. The woman's head whipped up even as the young man screamed, "Zela." The dogs broke their circle, turning toward the new threat.

  Aiofe had a chance, just a brief moment. She cast her eyes frantically across the ground. There, a few feet away, she found her bow. She scrambled for it, the cool wood settling her nerves as the grooves fit comfortably int
o her hand. She did not have time to look for the arrow and instead pulled another one from the quiver on her back. The dark haired woman was pulling a sword from a scabbard on her horse's saddle when Aiofe drew the string back. Without pause, she let the deadly spear fly. It sailed through the short distance between them, sinking into the woman's shoulder.

  The woman screamed, the power behind the sound so terrible that Aiofe had to clamp her hands over her ears. She twisted around, leaning against the horse for support as she examined the arrow sticking out of her skin. Then she turned her deadly gaze on Aiofe. The hatred in her eyes petrified the young woman, freezing her in place. With the sword in hand, the older woman pointed toward Aiofe.

  "Kill her," she screamed, the sound vibrating out across the land like the ripples of a stone dropped in a silent lake.

  With abject horror, Aiofe fumbled for another arrow as several of the creatures around her turned from their previous targets, focusing their hungry attention on her. All her years of training had not prepared her for something like this. Never in her life had she imagined she would be facing an entire pack of faeries. She had never faced more than two at a time. Now nearly a dozen were stalking her, their fangs dripping as their mouths watered for her flesh.

  She raised her bow and aimed at the creature closest to her. Her hands were shaking and the arrow missed. She drew another, willing herself to calm down. They were close now. If one jumped, she was sure it would reach her if it really tried.

  Aiming again, she let the arrow fly. It sank into the dog's chest and it fell with a howl, blood seeping out around the wound. The others, seeing their companion fall, whipped into a rage, their yipping growing loud enough to make Aiofe's head vibrate. As one, they rocked back on their haunches and leapt.

  *~*~*

  FIFTEEN