We come to the large hallway that we crossed last night to get to the throne room, and the walls are filled with color—a perfect canvas for the artistry. This is clearly a story. There are images of war and death, pleasure and redemption, with one female figure central to it all.
In the image painted by the light streaming through the largest of the windows, the dark-haired woman is being torn apart by fire and light. And in the next she’s entombed in glass like Snow White with four figures looking on, but the rest of the story is more colorful. No more war or bloodshed.
“What is this story?”
The Rialoia—Nissa—I correct myself, looks wistfully at the images. “It is how the Goddess saved Allwyn.”
She doesn’t elaborate, and the way she continues quietly contemplating the images before us tells me that is something deeply personal. I’ll have to ask more later. Maybe one of the men will be willing to fill me in while we travel.
We cross into the open light outside of the palace, and everything is just as vibrant, if not more so. The sky above us is deeply violet, and the buildings shine like pearls. For the first time since being in Allwyn I notice that there is no sun. The sky is filled with brilliant light, but I can’t find the source.
Nissa is watching me, smiling in amusement. “We do not have day and night here like you do in the human realm on earth. Here it is simply the bright and the fade.”
I look up at the sky again. In my life, I’d never considered that the sun was something you could take for granted. And yet it seems like I did. “How can you tell what time it is without the sun? Or the seasons?”
Nissa walks closer to the opal temple, which shimmers in the…I guess I can’t call it daylight. But it’s even more beautiful, with the colorful flecks changing and shifting as we approach. The rose is bigger than I realized, on an even greater scale. I feel tiny in comparison, and yet that same draw that filled me yesterday is present, telling me to come inside.
“Time,” says Nissa, “is a very human concept. It does not pass in the same way. The bright and the fade never change. Neither do we have seasons, except in their own courts.”
I blink. That’s hard to wrap my mind around. “That’s strange to me.”
“And it would be to most humans, I imagine. That is not to say that we do not keep track of time in our own way. Like humans, we have cycles that repeat for celebrations and natural growth. But these things vary. Allwyn tells us when it is time.”
We’ve reached the door of the temple, a large rectangular arch that is stark and open, simply cut into the stone. It contrasts against the rest of the building, which doesn’t seem to have a straight line in it.
A fae female in a pale dress bows to Nissa and leads us inside. As soon as I cross the threshold, I feel the air change. Everything goes still, both inside and out. Peaceful.
It reminds me of water with no ripples. There’s something there and hidden, ready to make waves. And the stillness only makes the presence more apparent.
Inside, the rose structure is open to the sky, though you couldn’t see that from the outside, and it’s no longer opal. It rather matches what the inside of a rose might look like, with shades of pinks and reds flowing one into another on the curved petal walls.
There doesn’t seem to be any strict structure for worship the way there is in human churches. In the center of the open space is one statue, formed from the same opal as the outside of the temple. The image is familiar.
The beautiful woman caught up in fire, but her face is utterly at peace. She’s even smiling a little as she’s consumed by the flames. It’s striking, and a chill rolls through me. But other than the statue, there’s nothing. No altars, no pews, nothing that made it clear where you where or what you were supposed to do.
There are cushions scattered across the polished jewel floor, and there are a few fae using them, heads bowed in silent prayer. Others are laying down, and still more are simply walking. It seemed like whatever form your worship wanted to take was allowed. The idea was freeing. Even though I’m not familiar with Allwyn’s Goddess, the peace and safety that I feel here is enough that I almost don’t want to leave.
Nissa leads us directly to the base of the statue where there is a sea of cushions spread across the floor, and we sit together, waiting. I don’t feel the need to speak, just resting in that perfect silence. I’m trying to remember the last time that I felt this safe, and nothing is coming to mind. Even from long before the attack.
From the angle we’re sitting at, the Goddess’s face is nearly obscured by the statues fire, but I can see her smile. It seems crazy to feel like she’s smiling at me, but I do.
A fae male approaches, dressed in the same kind of pale and flowing clothing as the acolyte at the gate. He looks normal. Almost human in coloring and body. His most remarkable feature is the vivid pink of his eyes. A simple silver band rested on his forehead, and he nods to Nissa. “Rialoia.”
She nods in return and gestures to me. “Lai, this is Kari.”
Lai kneels in front of me, looking at me in a way that feels like he’s seeing through me. “Welcome to Allwyn, Kari,” he says. “My Rialoia tells me you have a memory she would like to see.”
I nod. “Yes. More than one. I’ll show her everything I can.”
He reaches out and stops. “I’ll need to place my hand on you. Is that all right?”
I nod, and he puts a hand on my shoulder, and one on Nissa’s as well. The magic that I feel is incredibly different than the ones I’ve felt before. It’s a calm, slow, pulse. Like a heartbeat. It doesn’t strive to arouse or to harm. It just exists.
It feels like that’s all there is, and I could fade away into that pulsing lull. “Kari,” Lai says, though his voice sounds far away, “Please show us.”
Right. I’m supposed to show them her. I think back to the time when she first came into the shop for that potion, and I just remember. I show them making the potion, the burst of magic that came in the creation and giving her the bottle. Then I skip forward to her calling my name and the attack. I’m not exactly sure if what I’m remembering is everything, but now that the memory is playing, the magic is guiding me. It coaxes the reality from memory without sending me into a spiraling panic.
I relive other things too. The worst of the pain and the attack with the birds. The first part of last night where my chest was glowing red, and I knew again that I was going to die.
But I’m removed from it all. I don’t feel the pain in my body, and I know that I am safe here. Finally, the magic guides me back to the first memory, where her face is clear, and it focuses there. Until the magic slips away quietly and easily, and I open my eyes.
Lai removes his hand from my shoulder and looks over at Nissa. “Is that enough, Rialoia?”
She nods sharply, the set of her jaw telling me that she wasn’t happy with what she witnessed. “I do not recognize this female,” she says softly. “But if she enters the borders of the Stone Kingdom or the Crystal Court, she will not leave it.”
Her conviction is fierce, and Lai’s face shows the same passion. “Why?” The word flies from me before I can consider it.
“I am aware that not everyone in Allwyn values human life,” Nissa says to me. “Perhaps some would even agree that this fae’s assault on you was justified to take what she wanted. But our Goddess valued life—all life—so much she gave her own. I will not allow attacks on innocence in my Court.”
More than everything else I’ve experienced, the Court here has been turning my mind upside down. Everything is different from what I would have thought. But of course it is. You can’t assume you know everything about a culture or people based on the stories that you’re told. But when that’s all you know, that’s all you’re able to expect.
But it’s still astonishing to have so many strangers care about what happens to you. I can’t say that the same thing would happen back in New York. “Thank you.” Lai is staring at me strangely now, and I feel the urge to look
away. But I can’t. “Is something wrong?”
“Not at all,” he says, hesitating. “But know this: the Goddess is not one of coincidence.”
I swallow, those words sending a chill down my spine. “What does that mean?”
“I can’t see the future,” Lai says. “No one can. But no matter the unfortunate circumstances, you are meant to be here.” He stands, and makes a short bow to Nissa, “I wish you well on your journey.”
And he’s gone before I can ask him if he means that I’m meant to be in Allwyn, or specifically in the Crystal Court. Whether it means I’m on the right path to be healed, or if entering this temple today was where I should be. Questions churn in my gut, and I no longer feel as peaceful.
Nissa places a hand lightly on my arm. “I’m sure your companions are waiting for us. The faster you make it to the Carnal Court, the more quickly you can be free of this curse.”
She helps me to my feet and we exit the temple. Outside, the men are waiting along with the Rialoir, and there are fae horses. These are the animals Aeric spoke to me about. They look like horses you would see in the human world, but they’re vibrant. The first horse I see looks like fire, yellow and orange and red flowing across its body.
The other horses are just as beautiful, a living rainbow, waiting and saddled as the men speak quietly.
Nissa presses her hand to my arm. “I believe that Lai is right. You are meant to be here. When you are well, I hope to see you again, Kari.”
“Thank you,” I say. “For your kindness.”
Her smile is brilliant. “Stay alive. That is your repayment.”
“I’ll do my best,” I say, laughing.
As we approach the group, the men notice me. And the first one who does is Aeric. His dark hair shines in the light with a perfect green sheen, and he’s smiling. Just a ghost of a smile, that’s private for the two of us. “Good morning, Kari,” he says quietly.
My face flames as the rest say their hellos. “Morning.”
Kent guides me to the flaming horse, whose saddle holds my bag. “Are you all right?”
“I think so. No pain right now.”
“Good.” He leans forward and kisses me lightly, before retreating to his own horse which looks like it’s made of the ocean.
Now that we’re all here, we don’t delay. Brae has a final few words with the rulers before we leave, drawing stares all the way out through the gates of the city.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
________
KARI
I rode a horse a few times when I was a teenager, but never since then. It’s not particularly difficult, but I can already tell that I’m going to be sore.
We’re moving much faster than when I had to be carried or share a horse, which is good. The scenery passing is strange and wonderful, and I’m grateful that I’m able to see it—sitting upright instead of through a haze of pain. Especially when I feel the first whisper of its return at mid-day.
Kent rides by my side, but says almost nothing. Which strikes me as strange. “You asked me if I was all right, but are you?”
“I’m fine,” he says.
I look over and I see the tension in his shoulders and the set of his jaw. “You don’t seem like it.”
“I am.”
“Okay.” I don’t think pushing him is going to help him open up, and he drifts away from me, riding ahead.
“How far away are we?” I ask, not directing the question to anyone in particular.
Brae looks back at me. “From the Carnal Court?”
I nod.
“A few days, at best. If we can keep up a good pace like this.”
“Okay.”
Verys’s voice comes from behind me. “Are you worried?”
“Yes,” the word is thick in my throat. “It seems to be moving faster.”
Brae studies me for a moment. “It could be. You feel it already?”
As if in response to his question, a flare of nausea rises through my stomach. “It’s not bad yet, but yeah.”
“We’ll be careful,” Aeric says. “Go as fast as we can.”
None of us are saying what the true worry is—that if this curse is speeding up, it might get to a point where we can’t feed it enough magic to keep it at bay. But we all ride a little faster.
The day passes slowly, and when the light starts to fade, we find an alcove protected by an outcropping of yellow rock where we set up camp. The three fae males set up camp as if it’s easy and natural, falling into established rhythms. They secure the horses and put my bag near the crystal cliff. Verys starts and controls a fire.
We were given bedding, as well as food and clothing. The camp already feels much better than before, even if we’re caught in tense silence. I sit on the bedding that has been set out near the fire and eat the delicious bread that was sent with us. Part of me wonders if they somehow knew that this was my favorite part of last night’s feast and included the bread and honey and jam for that reason.
Even if it wasn’t on purpose, it’s so good that I could eat it forever, just lost in the flavor. The rest eat in silence. We’ve been in that same silence for most of the day, consumed by our own thoughts. But now that we’re not riding, the silence is loud. There are questions I want to ask them, but the time didn’t feel right.
The pain inside me has been rising since midday, growing to a consistent ache in my bones. It’s so frustrating, knowing that it’s constantly coming back. And after this morning in the temple, re-living all those memories, the biggest question I have is why?
Whether I’m supposed to be here or not, it doesn’t explain why me? Why was I the target of this? Have there been others? Will there be more after me? After the curse is lifted—if it can be lifted—will she keep trying to come back? Will she keep trying to kill me?
My mind has been going in circles all day, retracing the same questions. I don’t have answers. None of us do. But that doesn’t mean my brain doesn’t keep trying to solve the puzzle.
I finish the bread and brush the crumbs from my hands before stretching. My hips are sore from the ride, and I’m sure they’ll be even worse tomorrow.
“Kari,” Brae says from his seat across the fire. “Do you need pleasure?”
I go still.
Yes.
My brain immediately says it. But I stop the word flying towards my mouth before it can reach my lips. It’s something I want, and yet I’m still not used to talking about it openly like that. But these fae are who they are. Sex and pleasure is a part of their lives. They have no reason to be coy about it.
“So you can make it through the night,” Aeric says, referring to my episode in the castle.
Even if I didn’t need it, I want it. I want to feel what pleasure with them is like when I’m not drowning in pain that’s trying to kill me. It just happens that there’s an added benefit of keeping the curse at bay.
Kent is staring into the fire beside Brae, and he hasn’t reacted to their words, though he must have heard. I ache for him, too. I love him, and he loves me, and I know that watching someone else pleasure me is going to hurt him. I don’t want that. But I can’t deny the way I’m attracted to the fae men, and the fact that they can heal me is a factor. I want them. And him. Everything about this makes me conflicted.
Kent looks up from the fire and meets my eyes, and I see a rawness there that I haven’t before. His gaze floats down the length of my body before circling back to my eyes. “Don’t say no if I’m what’s stopping you,” he says.
“Are you sure?”
He huffs out a breath. “I’d rather see and hear anything than you in pain, Kari. Please.”
He must have heard me screaming last night, and possibly more. Oh.
I wet my lips, breathing through my sudden anxiety. I want this, and I need it. But it’s strange to ask, no matter if they’ve told me more than once to tell them what I need. Swallowing, I look at Brae, and then at Aeric. “Yes.”
“I’ll keep watch.” Verys
stands, stepping to the edge of the camp. Far enough away to be observant, but not so far that he won’t be able to see and hear. I see him glance backwards from the edge of our camp with keen interest.
Brae stands and comes around the fire, pulling me to my feet. Seconds later I feel another body behind me, and Aeric’s lips on my neck, his magic accompanying the kiss. “Both of you?”
“If the curse is escalating, we will too.”
“Oh.” Both of them. At the same time. The thought makes me immediately wet. I can feel my pulse everywhere in my body. Attraction, desire, pleasure. Please.
Brae’s hands find the hem of my shirt and peel it easily over my head. His magic glows within me too, the two different powers shivering against each other. One a cool breeze, the other like sunlight. They’re so different and yet they’re working together. Just the feeling of the magic writhing and dancing beneath my skin is leaving goosebumps. My soul is reaching out, wanting to bask in the different lights of their energy.
Aeric’s arms circle my waist, guiding me down onto the ground so I’m leaning against him. Hands roam my skin, across my ribs and up to my breasts. My nipples are already hard before he touches them, and when he rolls them through his fingers, my eyes fall closed. The sensation is amplified with magic, sending vibrations straight down to my pussy. Dear god, this more than I expected.
Brae strips my pants off in one easy movement, and I can’t breathe. This is happening. Really happening.
Aeric whispers in my ear. “I can’t wait to taste you again, Kari. Brae is lucky that I’m willing to share.”
He squeezes my breasts again, making me moan, and Brae takes the opportunity to part my legs. Sunshine and light cascade into me when his mouth touches my skin. It’s a storm of bright, sheer pleasure, entirely different from how Aeric pleasured me. Brae’s tongue moves smoothly and precisely. Rolling waves and patterns that grow and fade in intensity, every time they reach their peak I think I might go over, but I don’t. He keeps pulling me back down into that warm, hazy place where even the air I breathe feels good.
Fevered: A Reverse Harem Fantasy Romance (The Carnal Court Book 1) Page 11
