The Dark King

by C. J. Abedi

  “Alderon,” Tara began as she took a step toward him. “Don’t do this. You know why I left. You know.”

  “I do.”

  “I could not live with myself—”

  “Because you loved darkness.”

  Tara hung her head in shame. “Yes.”

  The sky rumbled with the coming storm as Alderon stepped toward her. He reached out with his gloved hand and gently touched her porcelain cheek.

  “Did you think I did not loathe myself for loving you?” he asked. “For still loving you? And now knowing that you will never return the sentiment once you see the vile creature that I have become?”

  He reached up suddenly and pulled his hood back to reveal his face. Tara couldn’t hide her shock. He had obviously used magik in the shop to conceal his true form. The face that looked down at her was not the one she remembered but even still, as he was, he was the man she had loved.

  And the only man she would ever love.

  Alderon expected Tara to turn away in disgust or fear, but instead she surprised him by taking a step closer to him and taking his face in her hands.

  She stared at him with eyes filled with love.

  “No matter what the Fates may bring upon you, there is one thing you can be sure will never falter. I will always love you with the same fire of my youth until the day I am no more.”

  C

  I felt the cool breeze hit my back.

  He was gone.

  If I hadn’t caught a hint of the scent of his cologne on my pillow, I would have thought it had just been another dream. It was the best night of sleep I’d ever had. I had tried to stay awake so I could savor every moment with him, but it had been nearly impossible. As soon as his arms encircled my body, I felt as if I had come home, and a sweet, blissful sleep swept over me.

  After I finished getting dressed in jeans and a warm wool sweater, I grabbed my toiletry bag and stepped outside my tent. I thought maybe Devilyn would be waiting for me, but it was Rowan who I came face-to-face with, sitting outside and reading a book.

  My cheeks felt instantly warm when our eyes met. In my paranoia, I thought that Rowan could tell that things between Devilyn and me were now different. That we had now stepped forward in our relationship.

  “Hey,” I said, unable to meet his penetrating gaze.

  “Morning.” He rose and was at my side “How’d you sleep?”

  I was sure my face was a deep burgundy by now. I picked up my pace, desperately needing the sweet solitude I could only find in the bathroom.

  “Uh, great actually, especially after yesterday.”

  “Good,” Rowan returned, giving nothing away.

  “I’ll see you in a bit.” I yelled over my shoulder when we finally reached the bathrooms, and I hurried inside.

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  I quickly took care of my morning rituals, wishing I could wash away the embarrassment from my face. I didn’t want Rowan to wait too long for me, so I decided to leave my hair down and just figured I’d braid it after we had breakfast.

  The plan was to go zip-lining today, which wasn’t on my top ten list. I was deathly afraid of heights. Some of my fears receded because I knew Devilyn and Rowan would be there to make sure I’d be okay. But still.

  I was so grateful to the two of them. The gravity of yesterday’s events hadn’t really sunk in. I was still digesting the fact that I almost drowned, but somehow it felt like a fleeting moment and one that could just be pushed out of my mind. I knew that Devilyn and Rowan wouldn’t let anything bad happen to me.

  They had both protected me from whatever monster had pulled me down under the water the day before. One second I was on the raft and feeling exhilarated by the rapids and the next something strong took hold of my waist and yanked me off and into the water.

  And the next thing I remembered was Devilyn leaning over me, his lips a breath away from mine, crying my name out in fear. So I responded with what little strength I had to the pain I heard in his voice. When he kissed me like I was the most precious thing to him in the world, I was undone.

  I knew.

  No matter what he said.

  I knew.

  Every feeling of anger or resentment I had for him disappeared because I realized in that moment how much he loved me. I promised myself I would somehow convince him that the love we had would be enough to overcome any plans anyone or anything had in store for us.

  He had to understand now that I was done playing games with him. I wouldn’t tell him. I would show him. I had never thrown myself at anyone, never imagining that it was even something I wanted to do. But I realized that boldness would be the only way to get through to him. I would have to force my affections until he couldn’t live without them. We had that kind of energy between us.

  He felt it.

  And I felt it.

  He couldn’t push me away.

  Could he?

  Suddenly my confidence started to dissipate, and it was slowly replaced by a feeling of mortification in facing him today.

  What would I say?

  How would I act?

  I heard someone clear his throat by the door of the bathroom, which woke me from my daydreams. I was spared from having to think about it any longer because the man who occupied every part of my brain was now leaning against the wall of the girls’ bathroom, muscled arms crossed, tall frame relaxed. It was so unfair how just a smile from him could make me lose all rational thought.

  He turned slightly when he saw me and smiled.

  “Hi.”

  “Hi,” I barely gulped out.

  He brushed a flyaway hair from my cheek.

  “How did you sleep?” he asked. I searched his face.

  “Honestly?” I replied.

  “Always.” His voice was serious, his eyes inscrutable.

  “The best I have in a long time.”

  “Me too,” he admitted. “You hungry?”

  Food is the last thing on my mind.

  I caught his smile.

  “You have to eat something.”

  “Maybe I’ll have a little something.”

  “Fair enough.” He pushed off the wall and we started walking to the food trucks.

  I looked over at his gorgeous profile and realized just how badly I wanted him to hold my hand.

  Was it too much to ask for? Was it so unrealis—

  “Careful,” he told me a second too late as I tripped right over a small rock protruding from the ground. I would have gone flying through the air had it not been for his strong arms catching me.

  “I didn’t even see that!” I exclaimed in embarrassment as my arms held on to his broad chest for support.

  His knowing gaze met mine.

  “That’s because you were too busy checking me out.”

  “You wish!”

  “I wish? More like I know.”

  Was it possible to die of embarrassment? I hated myself for being so obvious.

  “Don’t be embarrassed, Caroline,” he continued. “I think it’s cute.”

  Cute?

  “Cute is for dogs.”

  “Or beautiful fairy maidens with spectacular gray eyes who maintain their elegance even when they trip over their own two feet.”

  “Was that a compliment?” I asked with a laugh.

  “It was.” He returned my smile. I realized he was still holding me in his arms.

  And I was perfectly fine with it. If anything, he pulled me closer.

  “Are you going to put her down to eat some breakfast, Mr. Reilly?” Mr. Copeland asked as he snuck up on us.

  Devilyn reluctantly let me slip away.

  “By the way, that was a rather romantic save, Devilyn,” Mr. Copeland went on, to my horror.

  “Thanks?” Devilyn replied.

  “There’s nothing like rescuing a damsel in distress, now, is there?” Mr. Copeland laughed. “Although I must say, after what I saw yesterday, it seems like Devilyn is the perfect knight in shining armor. But do try and stay
safe, Ms. Ellis. We don’t want a repeat of yesterday.”

  “I guess not,” Devilyn returned then turned to me. “He’s a little too obsessed with fairy tales.”

  “Nothing wrong with being a dreamer.” I smiled.

  “I like reality a lot better.”

  • • •

  Two hours later that reality had turned into a living nightmare. I didn’t know it was humanly possible for anyone to be that high up. I tugged at my safety harness. There was no way these measly ropes were going to save anyone.

  We were all standing at the newly erected zip-lining course near the Nantahala Gorge. It was a half-hour ride away from our camp and much deeper in the woods. We’d gone through the safety course with the Canopy Rangers and were told we’d be going through ten zip lines through the forest.

  “You look a little green,” Teddy said as we watched some students take off, disappearing into the forest.

  “I’m afraid of heights. You know that,” I reminded him as I turned around so I wouldn’t face my impending doom and psyche myself out even more.

  “Yeah, but I was also thinking that since what happened yesterday, you might be thinking you’re also accident-prone or something,” Teddy said, trying to distract me and make me laugh. Two things I was definitely not in the mood for.

  Not accident-prone, I thought. I was just being chased by some otherworldly monster for reasons that still don’t make complete sense to me.

  “Are you ready for your turn?” Devilyn said as he came up by my side.

  I looked over at the zip line and could feel myself start to get faint.

  “Do I have to go next?” I asked in a small voice.

  “You’re up, my dear,” Mr. Copeland hollered out. “You’ll have fun! You’ll feel the way an eagle does when he flies through the sky. Just think of it as having your own set of human wings.”

  Mr. Copeland walked down to the line and waited to be hooked in as Mrs. Henner stood by his side.

  “Mr. Copeland will go before you, Caroline,” Mrs. Henner said to me.

  “And I’ll just wait for you on the other side. We’ll all help you get through this,” said Mr. Copeland.

  I heard Mr. Copeland’s exuberant shout as they pushed him off the wooden deck and he went flying through the air. In less than fifteen seconds he was lost in the canopy of trees.

  “Is it just me or does he seem weirder than usual?” Teddy asked as he watched the horizon.

  “Way weirder,” I agreed, rolling my shoulders back and realizing that I had no choice but to face my fears.

  “You know what, Caroline?” Devilyn interjected. “I think I’ll go before you as well, and I’ll wait on the other side. I just want to buy you some time, since you’re scared.”

  “Okay!” I couldn’t have agreed faster.

  What kind of Fae Queen would I make if I couldn’t even get on a zip line?

  “See you on the other side,” Devilyn said as he got hooked up. I watched as Rowan followed him, and the two whispered something to each other. I really hoped there wasn’t some mean tree monster out there they were concerned about.

  Teddy grabbed hold of my arm.

  “So, when do you plan on telling me what’s going on with you and Devilyn?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Uh,” Teddy creased his brow, “do I look like I have ‘idiot’ stamped on my forehead? I saw him kiss you on the riverbank yesterday, and I saw the way he held you in his arms this morning. And to be honest, I’m pretty sure that most of the junior class saw it as well.”

  I suddenly wished I could trade places with Devilyn on the zip line. It had to be better than having this uncomfortable conversation with Teddy.

  “I don’t know what—” I began.

  “Please,” Teddy continued. “Rowan’s been depressed since yesterday. He barely ate this morning. We’re talking about the same guy who clearly has a tapeworm, because he eats so much. Since when did you start hiding things from me?”

  Since I found out I’m not who you think I am, and the person I’m supposed to be is not even something I fully understand.

  “It’s just complicated,” I admitted. “I don’t even know what you’d call it. Honestly.”

  And that was the truth. Devilyn and I hadn’t talked about anything that was happening between us. The looks, the kisses, the caresses—all of it was just happening and I was loath to be the one to ask what it all meant.

  “Well, when are you going to figure it out?”

  “I don’t know, Teddy. I just am kind of going with the flow—besides, you’re one to talk. You’ve been awfully cozy with someone this trip as well.”

  “Don’t change the subject.”

  “Don’t avoid the subject.”

  Teddy rolled his eyes, and I turned to find Tatiana suspiciously quiet and standing far away from us. She probably knew what we were talking about and didn’t want to interrupt. Especially since the topic had now shifted to her.

  “Caroline?” Rowan called. “It’s your turn now.”

  How did that happen so fast?

  “Well, good luck,” Teddy said as he followed me up to where the rangers and Rowan were going to lock me in.

  “I’ll have some more questions for you when we’re done.”

  “Right back at you.”

  “Well, I plan on answering them but I probably can’t say the same for you, which, to be honest, is pretty upsetting.”

  Was he serious?

  Rowan reached over and helped the ranger lock the harness with the pulley.

  “I just explained,” I said as I looked over my shoulder at Teddy.

  “I’m still not happy.”

  Before I had the chance to give Teddy a proper reply, the ranger pushed me off the ledge.

  I flew wildly through the air as the trees rushed by me. It was the most terrifying and exhilarating moment of my life. I felt like a giant seeing the world from the vantage point of the trees. A thrill like no other. And just as quickly as I was flying so high through the sky on a thick rope that stretched across different areas of the forest, I came to a sudden, dead stop.

  It was so jarring that I swung back and forth violently until finally settling.

  “Crap,” I muttered as I caught my breath, slowly trying to look over my shoulder to see where I was. I didn’t think Rowan or any of the guys could see me, which meant I probably had what the rangers called “zip line fail.”

  “Hello?!” I shouted, trying to remain perfectly still so I wouldn’t bounce on the line any more than I already was. I was too afraid to look down, so I kept my eyeline level. Looking down would have been the end of me, definitely sending me into hyperventilation.

  I was now dangling in the sky.

  And no one likely knew where I was.

  I didn’t know whether to cry or start screaming like a crazy person. Calming myself, I tried to think about the reality of the situation. They would soon realize I hadn’t made it to the other side, and then someone would come for me. They had to.

  But what if they just sent another person flying down the zip line, and they ended up crashing into me? That couldn’t be good.

  This wasn’t what I had planned. I looked up at the trolley, trying to see if it was stuck on something, but it seemed clear, so I started to shift ever so slightly, hoping that it might catapult me forward and this nightmare would be over.

  But nothing happened.

  I was starting to freak out.

  I heard what I thought was an eagle’s cry in the distance and then watched as dark clouds moved swiftly across the sky.

  This wasn’t happening by chance or fate.

  “Caroline Ellis!” a voice howled from a distance. “Heir of Virginia Dare.”

  I looked up at the trolley again and started to push it forward, hoping that this time I could get the thing to start up again.

  “I. Am. Coming. For. You.”

  “Devilyn!” I screamed. “Devilyn!”

  D


  I shook my head in disbelief.

  I had spent my life relying on my intuition. The Fae were known for having an innate sensitivity to everything that went on around us.

  But lately I had been out of sync. Whether it was Caroline, or knowing my mother was alive, or Alderon, I had to get back on my game. Now, as I was speeding through the air, Teddy’s last words were running through my mind.

  Something had been off with Mr. Copeland.

  Yes, he had been unusually chipper at breakfast, but I had passed it off as his usual unconventional behavior. But when Teddy pointed out that he seemed stranger than normal, I thought back to the last few things Mr. Copeland had said.

  Just think of it as having your own set of human wings.

  Or what he said in the morning.

  There’s nothing like rescuing a damsel in distress.

  The words were poetic.

  Lyrical.

  The trademark of one person in particular.

  And not Mr. Copeland.

  Puck.

  All of it made sense. I didn’t fully realize it until I was harnessed onto the line and flying through the air. How he had taken Copeland’s appearance was beyond me. I prepared myself for what would come for me. Thankfully, he believed that Caroline was next in line. He hadn’t seen us switch places, so now he would be in for a rude awakening.

  I searched the trees for him, thinking he might have dropped into one, waiting for Caroline to fly by so he could attack, but he was nowhere to be seen. His mischief making was beyond waiting for her in trees—he was too good for that. Yesterday had been somewhat of an epic failure on his part—he’d want to handle this personally.

  Mr. Copeland, or Puck, as I now confirmed, was barely clicking his harness off when he came into my view, alone in the canopy. Just as I thought he would be. He had probably sent everyone off so that he could have all of the freedom he needed.

  I reveled in seeing the look on his face when he saw me instead of Caroline, flying through the air, my legs aimed directly at his chest. I hit him hard and he slammed into the ground from the impact. I quickly unclicked my harness and moved to stand above him.

  “Did you think you could fool me?”

  Mr. Copeland grabbed his chest from what I assumed was the pain of my assault and began to laugh in delight.