They weren’t faring any better than her. Sitting still was not something one could do after hours on a small surface, unable to move. It wasn’t Thea’s fault. She was just protective of her people and her home. If her parents had been as cautious, maybe Talia wouldn’t have been able to overcome them.
The day Tomas sat by her side and told her how the king and queen of the fae had been slaughtered was one of her saddest days during the twenty-year curse. Tomas and Alara had become friends of the royal house of the fae while securing the new standards in which they would all work together; sorcerers, fae, and humans. It was working well too.
Once Talia had made clear who she was and what she was capable of, Alara guessed everything occurring had been at the consort’s hand. Though, she much preferred what Thea had called her; the usurper queen.
When Thea returned, she touched the ground on the far side of the building and sprinted to her guests. “You came for answers to a predicament. Something I could not help with until Alara, the rightful Queen of Anaphias, was woken. Now, with her here, the fae will assist with freeing the island of Ikrith.”
“You mean, you could have done that from the beginning?” Declan snapped at Thea, all respectfulness for royalty gone.
“Yes, but at the request of Iren, we did nothing. Nobody has the power and the strength that a single fae commands. That is why we are the superior beings in this land. That is why even your father bent a knee to us.” Thea’s temper grew as she spoke to Declan and then turned to Alara. “And your mother.”
“My father did not bend to anyone.” Declan bellowed.
“Stop this.” Alara glared at Thea, who knew she was wrong. The fae lowered her eyes to the floor, at her feet. “We did not bend to your parents. We worked harmoniously together. Our two kings made a pact. One, I might add, was agreed on with a shake of a hand, not the bending of any knees.” Alara then scowled at Declan, “She is right, however, that your father and I showed the respect and admiration that the fae people deserve, and they did the same for us”— she glanced back and forth between the two— “which is what I’d expect of both of their successors to do as well. I’m ashamed of you both. This is no time to be acting like children, though you might be.”
Thea curtsied for the first time since they’d arrived. “Yes, you’re right, Your Majesty. I apologize for my behavior. I have instructed my people to lift the curse. They are in flight now.” She stood and regarded Declan, who appeared shell-shocked. He hadn't moved, nor did he speak.
Cedric cleared his throat, and Declan turned to Thea. “I apologize as well for my outburst. It’s been very overwhelming, these past few days.”
Cedric rolled his eyes at the prince and smiled at Thea.
“About my query?” Cedric said to the fae queen. His companions all turned to look at him.
“Yes, Iren sent word about your dilemma. Once he is freed, he will be able to assist you further. We have agreed to allow the magic that will be necessary to aid him." She flew to a rather sizeable blue plant, picked up a vial from a table at its side, and held it to a petal. She pierced it with a dagger Alara didn’t see her produce from a sheath on her leg. A dark sapphire substance dropped into the vial. Before bringing it to Cedric, she placed a stopper in it and kissed the rim. “A kiss of a fae will seal any magic into anything. Once he opens it, he can absorb the magic. But warn him…it will only work once, and only for a short while.”
“What’s this about?” Declan considered Alara and then Cedric.
Alara shrugged her shoulders and watched as Cedric slipped the vial into his pocket. He nodded his thanks to the fae queen and headed for the open door they’d entered.
“So, that’s it? We’re leaving?” Declan shouted as they made their way back to the beach. The sun dropped behind the mountains of Omath, across the open water. Declan stomped his feet as they trudged through the sandy beach. “What exactly was the point of coming here?” He sounded like a small child having a fit. Alara decided the best course of action was to do nothing about it and let him have his tantrum. She had come to the realization the best way to handle him was to use the same tactic she applied for his father; let him stew until he gave in and went with it.
To their pleasant surprise, a ship waited for them, moored away from the shore. A small dinghy sat on the beach with a fae male waiting for them to board. The fae didn’t follow them on the small boat, but it moved on its own towards the ship. It was nothing like the little boat they’d traveled on to Ikrith. It was much bigger. Like the one’s Alara had been admiring at the port of Grotia.
Scarlett was the first to board. She looked around at all the mechanics and gave a confused look. “Are we to steer this thing ourselves?”
The last on board was Cedric. Once the bottom of his feet touched the deck, the ladder lifted and hung itself on the railing, and a gate swung closed. The wheel above spun, and the sails raised. Masts moved, and ropes pulled while the ship was completely empty, except for the four of them.
“I guess not,” Cedric said. He inspected the area of the ship not visible from the deck, still acting as the royal guard. He wouldn’t rest till every nook was searched. “Well, it’s a long trip, and there are beds in the cabins below.”
“Yes, please get some rest. We’ll take turns keeping watch,” Declan begged Alara. She had to admit that since they’d left the palace, she’d only gotten a decent amount of sleep after her ordeal with Queenie. As much as she was still afraid to close her eyes, afraid they would never open again, she couldn’t help but admit she was beyond exhaustion.
The cabin was spacious; big enough for a large bed, a chest of drawers, and a small wardrobe. A big window showed off the open water. At the lower level, Alara could see the shine of the sun below the sea. Fish and coral were all around. She’d never seen them so close up before. She crawled onto the four-poster bed and sprawled out on top of the blankets.
The ship appeared to be enchanted like Idrisi. The climate was comfortable inside the room. There were no plants, but plenty of portraits of them. The far wall was covered entirely in wallpaper, which showed the flowers making up the walls of the building they met Thea in.
Alara closed her eyes, scrunching the pillow under her head with both hands thrust into it. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so comfortable.
She thought of Tomas before falling asleep. She hadn’t allowed herself to miss him during the craziness, but just then, she realized how lonely she felt without him by her side.
He had been her best friend and constant companion. Even though she was traveling with three other people, it wasn’t the same. She missed the comforts of having Tomas nearby; the warmth of his touch and the heat in his voice when he spoke to her. It sent shivers up her spine.
Alara heard voices all around her. Some she could recognize; others she’d never heard before. Not being able to sleep with the noise, she lay still, not wanting anyone to know she was awake just yet.
A high-pitched scream turned to a laugh. Alara flinched. She tried to open her eyes, but they didn’t open.
“Oh, no. She’d done it again.” She listened as the voices around her continued to speak normally while the laughter grew louder.
Gretchen sang as she worked.
It was Talia’s cruel voice. Not the low methodic voice of the queen consort, but the wicked laugh of the witch who’d cursed her.
A sharp pain filled her left index finger, and then a throbbing.
The laugh grew louder still. Alara called out to Declan and Cedric, who she could hear close by, but she received no response. She tried to move her body; tried to open her eyes to see Talia come to her side.
She felt hot breath on her face as the witch spoke to her, “Good morning, my sweet. Hope you’re having a nice sleep.” The high cackled laughing ensued once more.
“Hey! Alara, wake up. It was just a dream.” Cedric’s hands wrapped around her shoulders while her body thrashed about. “Hey, shh. It’s okay. You’re ok
ay.” He pulled her up to him, her head resting on his shoulder.
She woke to the smell of him. His hair touched her face; the heat of his body against hers. She tried to move her hands. When they responded, she wrapped them around Cedric and held on tightly. She lifted her lids and peered at the room. She could see the window in the small cabin of the ship. She saw the end of the bed with the dark blue bedspread.
“I’m okay,” she said finally. She squeezed her eyes quickly and tightly, reopening them to prove she could. “Just a nasty dream.”
“Yes, just a dream.” He hummed as he held her tightly, stroking the back of her head just as Tomas used to do when she was even a little upset about something.
She sat and let him soothe her until she heard steps outside the door. They pulled away, but it wasn’t fast enough.
Declan saw Cedric get up from the side of the bed where he’d been sitting. “What are you doing?” He lunged after Cedric, his hands fisting in the collar of his shirt, and pushed him against the wall. “Trying to take advantage of a queen?”
Alara jumped from the bed and pulled on Declan’s shoulder from behind. “Declan, no! It’s not what you think, let him go.”
“You shouldn’t even be with us. What are you doing in my mother’s cabin?” He thrust his fists into Cedric again and again, each time pushing him into the wall.
“Declan, I command you to let him go. At once,” Alara screamed.
Declan paused, looking into Cedric’s eyes. Something there gave him a reason to let go too quickly, but Cedric didn’t move.
He just looked Declan in the eyes. They stood there for a moment before Alara pulled back from Declan again.
“What in the world is wrong with you?” she asked him.
“I just…I saw him there.” He watched Cedric as he bowed his head at Alara to make his leave from the room.
She nodded back, and he ducked around Scarlett, who stood in the doorway.
“You don’t get to attack people for being close to me,” she snapped at him.
“That’s not what I was doing,” he retorted.
“Could have fooled her.” Scarlett bound into the room and plopped down on the bed with an apple in her hand. Alara was getting used to seeing her long black curls free of the red cloak. However, dressed entirely in black with just her red boots on, she looked like someone completely new.
“I just don’t like him,” Declan sputtered.
“You’ve been working well together. You seem to like him just fine.” Scarlett picked at her nails. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, one leg crossed at the knee over the other. Her foot bounced with the spring in the mattress.
“Scarlett, could you give us a moment?” Declan stared her down as she gave him a questioning glare.
Finally, she gave an exasperated sigh and got up from the bed. She placed her hands behind her back and bowed to them both before leaving the room, pulling the door closed behind her.
Declan waited until he heard Scarlett’s footfalls lead away from the door before speaking. He looked at Alara, and she glared at him, obviously angry with him for his behavior.
“I’m stepping all over myself today. I’m sorry. I still don’t know how this is supposed to work.” He paced the length of the room, and Alara sat on the edge of the bed.
“Go on,” she said, getting comfortable. Her facial expression relaxed to mild irritation.
“This was so much easier with Talia.” He glared out the window and then resumed pacing. “She’s the age of a mother of someone my age should be, and I didn’t fantasize about her growing up.” The look on Alara’s face made him correct himself quickly. “I mean, I wished you were my mother. Not the other way.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Why not the other way?” he teased.
“No. Why did you wish I was your mother?” she asked, her earlier irritation with him gone.
“You never ignored me. Never dismissed me without a look. You laid there. Always listening, always caring. At least that’s what I told myself. I’d heard so many stories about how you were such a great person, even for being so young. I thought if you were my mother, I wouldn’t have felt so lonely. When you didn’t answer, I knew why. So, it didn’t bother me.” He stopped his eyes bore into hers. “Does that even make sense?”
She laughed, but not because it was funny, but because he sounded so much like her from so long ago. Of course, he was her son. “Yes, it does. It makes more sense than you know.” She didn’t know if she should go to him and hug him or not, so Alara settled with truth, or at least as much as she could remember. “If it helps, I was listening. I don’t remember a lot of what was said and by who. I do remember being happy every time you came to visit. You would visit when you were very young; crying about something. It made me sad when you cried, and I wished I could pull you into my lap and rock you till you were feeling better.” She chose her next words carefully. She didn’t want to ruin the progress they made with each other. “I knew I was a mother. I didn’t know you were my son. I did know I wanted to heal your hurt, but there is always another side of the coin. I am your mother, regardless of our age proximity. I can’t let you treat people like you just did.”
She stood from the bed but didn’t go to him. “You need to apologize to Cedric. He’s been very kind to me these past few days, and for all those years. Your father put me in his care. Granted, he is nothing close to being a guard.” She thought of her conversation with Cedric.
“You can say that again.” Declan snickered.
Alara glared at him again. “Your father wanted him to go on this journey with me, and you as well. There is a reason for it, so try not to dismiss him so carelessly. He may be a vital piece in this ever-growing puzzle.” She looked at him in earnest. “Can we agree on that?”
He contemplated her words. The more he thought about it, the more he realized the entire journey was put in place by his father. The appointment of Cedric as Alara’s guard at such a young age; even the message Cedric received from Iren at the bequest of a dying man. His father seemed to have thought of everything.
The puzzled expression on Declan’s face gave Alara pause. “What is it?”
“I was just wondering if Father set all of this in motion, why didn’t he tell you anything when you woke?” He looked at his mother with the same emerald eyes as hers.
“That, I cannot answer.” She walked to the window of the cabin. The moon was bright in the sky. Night had fallen, and she’d not even realized. She must have slept for hours. “Why was Cedric in here?”
“Scarlett thought you’d be hungry. He offered to wake you.” He moved to the door. “I will try to do better in the future, at least until we know more. I am still your son, and I will protect you. I can’t stop feeling that way.”
She turned, a smile on her face. “I’m okay with that. Just don’t call me ‘Mother.’ I’m too young to be your mother.” With a wink, she turned back to the window. Suddenly she was weary, though apparently not from lack of sleep. She heard the door open and click shut behind her before she sighed. “Tomas. Why didn’t you just explain things, you coward?” She spoke to the night, mesmerized by the stars above.
WATER sprayed the beach as the surf pushed against the island. A cautious landing was not on the mind of the ship’s captain.
Talia stepped from the giant vessel. She pulled the train of her gold dress up so as not to drag it along the beach. Landon followed quickly on her heels after anchoring their vessel. There was no dock to keep it in the water, and normal vessels would have fallen over if marooned that far on shore. This ship was enchanted by its captain; the consort queen herself.
Landon changed before setting sail for Ikrith. He wore his father’s clothes; burgundy, for the house of Basile. The lion and crown covered the back of the ornately made cloak, which tied at the prince’s neck under the collar of his white dress shirt. He’d complained about the state of the alterations, but his mother won the argument, stating that
he must look the part.
He trudged across the sand, whereas Talia was gliding across the beach on air. The sun was just beginning to drop as they arrived. The green hue of the spell around the island glowed in the darkening sky. By the time they’d reached the wall surrounding the occupants of the land, the pink in the air had gone.
“Oh Iren, I have come to visit,” she called through the wall, as she’d come accustomed to doing. She could have slipped inside; her magic would bend the curse to her will. However, she rather enjoyed toying with the old man at a farther reach.
“Hello, Talia. Is that young Landon with you this time?” the sorcerer said, his voice amplified.
“Yes, my son has come to see my accomplishments.” She turned to Landon, who fidgeted with the poof of his sleeves. “What do you think? Too much?”
Landon felt the gaze of his mother’s contempt at his fussing. He realized she hadn’t asked in regards to the clothes but to the vast wall of wood and glowing magic before them. He angled his head at the wall. The trees grew hundreds of feet into the air. The green hue lit the perimeter of the wall and may have looked stunning from the sky, however to Landon, it was just a dark wall with a hue of green. “Very nice, Mother. Very nice, indeed. Will you teach me?” He’d wanted to ask her for some time but never had the opportunity.
“Landon, we’ve been over this. Magic doesn’t move into the next generation. If you were to experience it, it would have happened by now.” She glared at what she considered her work of art. “Isn’t that right, Master Iren?”
“Oh, you know better than I, why he has not shown signs of magic. You might yet learn of those reasons shortly, young prince.” The old man laughed a beat before Talia screamed at him.
“You would dare to presume…?”
“I don’t presume anything, young witch. You know very well what my powers entail, for I gave most of them to you, even if unknowingly.” He sounded sorrowful to Landon, yet something lurked behind his meaning. Landon very much wanted to know what the sorcerer knew. He considered his mother then. She was lost in thought. A memory perhaps.
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