Reign or Shine

by Мишель Роуэн

  "My realm is rarely bothered by unwanted visitors," Rhys said.

  "Your realm?"

  He casually ran a hand through his short brown hair. "I'm the king here."

  My eyebrows went up. "You're the king? But you're so young."

  "You're not the first person to say that." Rhys grinned. "Faeries are known to live for a very long time-hundreds of years, actually. But I'm only sixteen."

  "Me, too."

  I took another moment to look at him from hair to feet. He was barefoot just like I was. Other than the wings and the slightly pointed tips to his ears, he looked like a normal human teenager.

  He laughed and turned around slowly. "Like what you see?"

  My cheeks warmed again. "Look, Rhys, I have to go. I can't stay here any longer. Can you help me find a gateway to get home?"

  He drew closer until he was only an arm's reach away. I watched him cautiously but didn't feel afraid of him anymore. He was even better-looking close up.

  He reminded me of Michael a bit with his earnest but guarded gaze. Michael wasn't quite so quick to flirt and joke around, though.

  Rhys narrowed his eyes and peered at me. "You live in the human realm?"

  "Uh. . yeah."

  "I've never visited there before. I've always wanted to."

  "Look, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm in a lot of trouble. I have to-" "Is it Elizabeth?" he asked. "She's responsible for all of this angst you're experiencing, isn't she?"

  My eyes widened. "Do you know her?"

  "She wants the throne. She's willing to do whatever it takes to get it." He took a lock of my hair between his fingers and studied it as if he'd never seen anything like it before. I inhaled sharply, but didn't move away from him. Then his brown eyes returned to mine. "I met her once and could easily sense the darkness she tries to hide. She's really quite horrible."

  "She's poisoning my father. That's why he's dying. I have to stop her."

  "Good plan." He cocked his head to the side and his gaze moved down to my dress. He reached out to touch it and I finally backed away from him. He was very touchy-feely. "You're a Darkling. It's strange, but I can't even see much demon in you at all. I can sense it, but I can't see it. And I'm not sensing any darkness in you. I wonder why that is."

  "Darkness?"

  "Of course." He smiled, but continued to assess me as if I were on a slide under a microscope. "As I said, gossip travels fast around here. When word got out that King Desmond had a daughter-a Darkling-and that you were going to visit, my advisors and I were quite concerned."

  "You were concerned about me?"

  He nodded slowly. "Can't be too careful about these things. Especially if one takes the dangerous history of half-demon and half-human Darklings into consideration."

  I felt like he was talking in circles and I was already dizzy to start with. I was wasting time trying to figure him out. I had more important things to think about.

  Like, what was Elizabeth doing? Was my father still fighting to live? I hadn't drunk the potion, so I figured I would know when he finally… when he died. I'd feel it and more than likely, from what I'd gathered, I'd be summoned to the castle where I'd be stuck until I died. Which, if Elizabeth had anything to do with it, would be about ten minutes later.

  "I don't understand what you're talking about," I said. "Dangerous history? Being a Darkling is like having a birth defect, I think. I'm lucky to have lasted as long as I have."

  He took that in and studied me for a moment longer. "Actually, that couldn't be farther from the truth. Darklings are powerful, scary creatures if not taken care of properly." He shrugged. "Considering that they're made up of two of the scariest, most unpredictable creatures in the universe- demons and humans-this is not difficult for me to believe. It's one of the many reasons why human/demon relationships are forbidden-" "Forbidden?" I didn't know that.

  He nodded. "It's strictly forbidden. So we don't have a bunch of dangerous Darklings running amok."

  I frowned. Powerful, scary creatures? "How do you know this?"

  "It's my duty to know these things-to be advised about my enemies. Everything I do and learn is to keep my land safe from those who might do us harm."

  He took another step closer until we were almost touching. "I expected such darkness from you, Nikki. But I sense nothing but light. This is very strange, indeed. I need to consider this."

  "Does that mean that you'll help me?" I asked hopefully. "You don't want Elizabeth ruling the Shadowlands right next door. She's evil."

  "She is that. But she is a demon, so it's not exactly unexpected, is it?"

  "My father isn't evil."

  "Your father"-Rhys paused-"is still a demon and unpredictable by nature. He will do what is necessary to achieve his goals, no matter the cost."

  Frustration welled inside of me. "He's dying. And you could help me save him."

  If the king of the faery realm would help me out, maybe I didn't have to go back to my world just yet. I could stop Elizabeth. I could demand that she give me the antidote. . that is, if she hadn't destroyed it already.

  I didn't even want to consider that possibility.

  I had to remind myself that all was not lost. Everything could still turn out okay. I felt a ray of hope shine through my fear.

  "I'm not helping you," Rhys said. "Even though the Shadowlands is an important barrier for us, it is not our only option for safety and self-preservation.

  Faeries have nothing to do with demons… and especially not Darklings. Ever."

  "But-" He held up a hand. "Is that the real reason why you entered my forest, Nikki? To ask for my help? Or is it something else entirely? Are you using a spell to hide your darkness from me? To try to trick me, to take my land, destroy my people?" His calm facade was slipping a little and there was a glittering in his eyes that was anything but friendly. "Because I'd strongly advise against that."

  Was he serious? "No, of course not. I'm just hiding here."

  "A Darkling would never have to hide from anyone or anything." His eyes narrowed. "And how you were able to touch the unicorn is curious to me. Your magic must be very strong to trick a creature like that. They are repelled by anything remotely impure or… demonic."

  I narrowed my eyes as well. "Maybe that should tell you something. I'm not one of the bad guys."

  "Perhaps." His lips curled to the sides and his gaze swept slowly over me again. "You're definitely not what I expected. But it doesn't change the fact that you've still trespassed onto my land. You've touched one of my unicorns. The penalty for that is death."

  I shook my head, the new swell of fear making my head ache badly. I glared at him. "Get away from me."

  A trace of fear moved behind his eyes and he took a step back. I wondered for a moment if my eyes had turned demon red. "Are you going to take Darkling form to defend yourself from me?"

  I frowned hard. "I… I don't know. Maybe I will."

  He pressed his lips together, any friendliness on his handsome face only a memory now. "Whatever magical deception you've created here has also worked on me. I find that I like you, Nikki, despite what I know you are. Maybe I'll let you live if you get out of my forest in the next ten seconds and promise to never return. Do you agree?"

  My headache eased slightly. If he liked me, maybe I could still convince him to help. "But, Rhys…"

  He drew a sword out from a sheath on his back and pointed it in my direction, almost touching my throat. My eyes widened in shock. "Ten," he began.

  "Nine. . eight…"

  He wasn't kidding.

  I turned and ran away from the king of the faery realm as fast as my bare feet could carry me. I cleared the last tree when I heard him get to "two" and then I didn't hear any-thing after that, but I kept jogging with my attention over my shoulder, waiting for a swarm of angry faeries to come flying out after me.

  But there was nothing. It was a huge relief.

  That guy was crazy. Territorial. And completely impossible to talk to.
And he was the king? I felt sorry for the other faeries.

  Out of everything he'd said, the one thing that confused me the most was the part about Darklings being fearsome creatures. For that brief moment, the cocky Rhys had looked at me with fear in his eyes.

  He was afraid. Of me.

  More like the other way around. That sword had been very sharp. As I slowed down, I thought about it. Why did everyone want to kill me all of a sudden? I stopped and put my hands over my face, suddenly overwhelmed by everything. I was trapped there. Without having a gateway to get back, there was nowhere for me to go. There was the faery realm-obviously off-limits for me now. There was the clearing-not exactly the best place to hide. And there was Castle Dread-the only part of the Shadowlands that looked like anything other than a whole lot of nothing. Far beyond were the jagged mountains that apparently bordered the rest of the Underworld, but it was so far away I'd never be able to walk there, and I was pretty certain that it wasn't somewhere I wanted to go in the first place.

  I had no idea what I was going to do next. Even if I could find another gateway, what was I supposed to do? Just go back? Once I was there I had no way of finding a way to return to the Shadowlands. I knew I couldn't leave. I had to find another way.

  I remembered what Elizabeth had told me earlier.

  "The Underworld potion makers always create an anti-potion for everything. It's a by-product of the potion itself and a very good fail-safe-after all, one can never be too careful when it comes to magical brews."

  Maybe I'd sneak back into the castle. I'd try to find the anti-potion-the antidote-to Elizabeth's poison. I'd cure my father and together we'd defeat Elizabeth.

  I knew it wouldn't be that easy, but I had to try. After everything I'd learned, I couldn't simply hide.

  Pushing away my fear and summoning up my remaining reserve of courage, I turned toward the castle only to find that my view was blocked.

  Elizabeth's thug stood in front of me.

  I stared at him, my heartbeat thudding in the backs of my eyes, in my throat, in my head.

  "Princess," he said with teeth gritted together. "I never thought you'd emerge from the forest."

  "I'll turn Darkling," I managed. "I can do it. You can't hurt me then."

  "It will take a few moments for you to shift form." The knife turned in his grip. "I'm prepared this time."

  "Did you tell Elizabeth what happened before? When I turned?"

  His brow furrowed. "No."

  Since Elizabeth hadn't said anything to me about it, I figured he hadn't. "Why not?"

  The expression on his ugly face was grim. He was so big that he blocked out my entire view of the Shadowlands behind him with his thick body. "Do you truly think I would tell her that I allowed you to defeat me so easily? She fears you enough as it is, but if she had any idea that you'd harnessed your Darkling powers…" He visibly shuddered. "She would destroy me."

  My entire body was tense, and I found it hard to move or breathe. "She fears me? Why does she fear me?"

  "Silence." He moved the knife and I managed to stagger back a step. Instead of coming at me with it, he tucked it into a sheath at his side and pulled something else out of his pocket. A white cloth. "You have to come back to the castle with me. Your aunt wishes to speak with you."

  "She wants to kill me."

  "If that was the case, I would have done it already."

  I looked around the empty field. Not much chance of escape that I could see. The thought made me feel ill. "What did you do to Michael?"

  His lips thinned. "The Shadow is proving to be more problematic than Elizabeth ever anticipated or she would have sent him away with the other servants.

  He'll be taken care of in time."

  He moved toward me. I stepped back and held up my hands. "Look, there has to be another way. Maybe you can help me. Aren't you sick of being told what to do? I know I was. You don't have to take orders from Elizabeth if you don't want to. That's no way to live. Maybe we can work together and figure out a way to-" But he wasn't open to negotiations. He closed the remaining distance between us so fast I couldn't even turn around. Before I had a chance to fight back or scream, he forcibly covered my mouth with the cloth, which smelled of strange chemicals, and a few seconds later darkness claimed me.

  Chapter 19

  I woke with a sharp sob to find my face pressed against a smooth stone floor in a cold, dark room. It took me a moment to even sit up, and when I did, I felt around, trying to establish where I was and exactly how much trouble I was in.

  I was somewhere in the castle.

  And I was in a whole heap of trouble.

  I touched my neck. My potion bottle was missing. Where had it gone? Did it slip off my neck when Elizabeth's thug was dragging me back to the castle?

  Was it out in the field? Or had he taken it away from me to give to Elizabeth so she could force-feed it to me?

  I was betting on the latter.

  "Princess? Can you hear me?"

  Michael? I drew my knees to my chest and stared blindly around at the darkness. Where are you?

  "If you can hear me, then I must be close, but I don't know where they put us."

  I felt a sudden wave of relief at hearing from him, even if it was only telepathically. You got away from that creep?

  "I'd hoped he'd chase me, not you. I'm sorry about that. Did he hurt you?" He sounded upset by the idea of it.

  Despite total hysteria and being scared to death, I'm still breathing. Michael, what is Elizabeth planning to do?

  "I think she wants to wait for King Desmond to die and for the power to shift to you. Then she. . then she plans to kill you. You need to get out of here.

  Why didn't you go through the gateway when you had the chance?" A fist of panic clutched at my throat. It disappeared. One moment it was there, the next it was gone.

  "Elizabeth must have discovered how to control the gateways now that the king is losing his power."

  I have to stop her, Michael. There has to be a way. I racked my brain. All of my earlier ideas seemed like huge long shots.

  "You need to tell your father what she's done. About the poison. He needs to know."

  But he's so weak now. What could he do that wouldn't hurt him even more?

  "He might be able to open another gateway for you. He can still help you get home."

  The room I was in was so cold I was shivering, though it wasn't just from cold-it was also from fear. I tried to calm myself down by thinking about Michael.

  His first thought was to protect me, to help me get home. I appreciated that so much, but I knew it was too late now. Even if I was willing to just skip back home and forget all of this, I couldn't. The moment my father died, I'd be brought back here against my will and trapped inside the castle until Elizabeth killed me to take my power. There was no turning back now.

  Where are you? I thought. I'll try to get out of here. I'll try to find you.

  There was a pause, and then, "Princess, I have to go. I have to-" I waited with my eyes wide as saucers for him to say something else. But there was only silence. Michael?

  There was no reply. Had Elizabeth found him?

  I felt around on the cool floor until I came to a big wooden door. I got shakily to my feet, feeling for a handle, but there was none. I pushed against the door but it didn't budge. They'd locked me inside a dark room to deal with me later.

  Slowly my eyes began to adjust to the lack of light until I could see. I was in a small unfurnished room. My shoes and purse were nowhere to be seen. I pushed on the door again, attempting to use my shoulder as leverage but it was impossible.

  I sucked in a shaky breath and looked around. There had to be a way out of here. Michael was right. The only thing I could do now was to find my father and tell him about Elizabeth and pray that he had enough power left to stop her.

  Out of the corner of my eye I saw a soft glowing light in the darkness and I looked down. It was the crystal of my bracelet, pulsing like a tiny fl
ashlight almost out of batteries. I frowned and ran my fingers over it.

  Elizabeth had told me that it was just a regular piece of jewelry. That dragons didn't exist. That would have meant it wasn't a dragon's tear as my father had originally told me.

  But I figured I'd already established that Elizabeth was a big, fat liar.

  What had my father said about the bracelet? That it could help focus my powers and make them more manageable?

  Elizabeth had warned that using my powers would kill me, but it hadn't. And after what Rhys had told me about Darklings being dangerous and not having to hide from anyone, I had started to realize that it might have been just one more thing she'd lied to me about.

  Of course she told me if I didn't drink the potion I'd die-that had been her plan. To scare me into drinking the potion.

  But I hadn't drunk it.

  However, when I had turned Darkling I'd felt out of control, as if the Darkling controlled me instead of the other way around. But that was when my emotions were all jumbled up-fear, panic, anger. I felt all of those emotions present right then, but I wondered if things would be different if I could control them. Maybe if I concentrated, focusing on the crystal in my bracelet, it would help me channel my Darkling power.

  Maybe being a Darkling was like having a muscle I never knew I had. A flabby muscle that needed to be worked on before it got strong and flexible and able to help me jump over tall buildings in a single bound.

  It was definitely worth a try.

  Please, I prayed inwardly. Please let this work.

  I pressed both my palms against the door. I wanted out of that room.

  Elizabeth told me that dragons didn't exist and that my father was delusional.

  It hurt thinking how easily I'd been sucked into believing her. I'd liked her and I'd thought she liked me. But she didn't. She had a very specific plan and I was the only person currently standing in her way.