“No, Sister, I do not think of the Sidhe as family nor are they our equals. We are Gods, they are descendants of the Others. It is completely different.”
But his heart pounded fiercely in his chest as he stared into the lake. It had been so long since he was summoned. And she really was beautiful…beyond that of the other immortals he’d been made offerings of. Beyond any immortal he’d lay his eyes on, actually. There was something in her glowing amber eyes that made him…warm. And water Elementals do not necessarily like to be warm. But, this was surprisingly pleasant. Yes, she could do...for a time.
He stood firm against Isura and removed the thoughts of the Sidhe female from his mind.
“I will give you twenty-four hours before I stop this myself, Sister. To the hells with your wrath. It has gone on long enough and you are beginning to remind me of Reisha.”
She grinned wickedly, which looked so out of place on her carved ivory perfection, Nikolai thought.
“But you want the immortal, do you not? It may take her twenty-five hours to call you,” she smirked. “Brother, I saw you in the lake, do not deny it to me. You may deny it to yourself all day if you wish, however.”
He stared at her hard, his eyes as cold as the mountain where he lived. “I do not want the immortal. And you will end this in twenty-four hours, or I will.”
With that he stormed back to his mountain causing a great, frozen storm to follow him there. He went to his seeing chamber, and pulled her image up in the waters there. He watched silently as the fierce Sidhe Queen—Ameieloreya—gazed into the water before her, no doubt calming herself before she made the biggest mistake of her life. He liked the way her name rolled in his mind, ancient and succulent, like the female herself.
Yes, call to me, female. I shall not be gentle with you, not at all. It has been too long since I have been made an offering from your kind. It is long overdue…and you will pay the price of a thousand years of debts to me.
He watched intently and waited for the words that would bind them.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Don't Piss Off an Elven Queen
~ALBEQUEN
SO this is what it would come to, after all? The work that had been done to secure the throne, all for nothing? His radiant mate, gone. Would he get his precious Rhonan back? He should have ended this charade sooner, but he was securing the throne, wanting to bring her back once it was done.
“It was for the good of Albequen, My Queen. The Princess belongs here, and I was merely securing her to come home.”
She looked at him with a calm gaze. “Morkain, after all these years, you surely understand that I am no fool? So choose your words wisely and do not try to make one out of me. Were you not ensuring your own place rather than hers? Isabel is heir to this throne, and that would remain unchanged regardless of her choice from this curse.”
He looked away and saw the beauty of the kingdom outside. It should have been his kingdom. A deep scowl crossed his face. He just needed a little more time! Why did she have to see that damned vision and more importantly, how did she see it? It was only meant for the girl. Something must have gone terribly wrong in the mage’s magic. His eyes grew as distant as his thoughts.
“I have been the one that has advised you in matters of war and peace for all these years since Norgelon’s death and before! It should have been me, Lorelei!” His fists clenched and he stood. “I’m the one who has lost everything. Not your precious Isabel!”
She looked at him and her features iced over, her expression impenetrable. “Have you seen what walks into our realm because of your scheme, you insolent fool, or have you been too busy plotting this destruction to notice? There are shadow beings crossing our borders and killing innocents, and it is all because of your greed! The guard can scarcely kill them fast enough before more infiltrate our borders! You should have let the child go and have her happiness. Perhaps then your own would not have been taken from you! There is always a price to pay for treachery, Morkain. The Gods even out the lives of the wicked based on the harm they have caused. How much penance do you owe the Gods, I wonder?”
He looked at her stunned, she couldn’t possibly know.
“You forget the gifts given to me by the King of the Sidhe as a token of the peace amongst us after my only son died? After he was killed, though that part I can’t prove. Yet.” Her eyes flared with gold. “But, oh yes, I know all about your little liaison with Rhonan. You are a traitor now to your whole race, as you have brought the darkness of the wrath of the Gods down upon us. You will pay what is due to appease that wrath.”
Eyes ablaze, he saw red. “I am ever faithful to my people, and have done everything I can to set right a wrong that should’ve never been. If it weren’t for me this kingdom would have crumbled under your negligible rule! My father should have been king. And Rhonan was no liaison, she was my mate! She is my mate, and she will be returned to me. As will what is rightfully mine, Your Majesty.” He sneered, and gestured to her crown…to his crown.
The words spilled out before he could stop them, but as soon as he’d said it, he wished he could retract it. There would be no soothing the Queens’ ire now. He cursed himself for letting his anger and grief take hold of him in these crucial moments. Her eyes beamed at him violently even as her tone got terribly soft, her blond hair pulling free from her delicate braids and flying all around her in a controlled chaos. Winds whipped unnaturally through the chamber, and the power that was rarely seen by others pulsed violently around the room. Her golden robe slapped the air and he was paralyzed, unable to even move a finger. She held him still with her mind as she walked toward him, and the voice that came out of her could no longer even be recognized as hers.
The Queen was using the full power of the Elven oracles now, and he knew that she could fry him from the inside out if he even blinked to her displeasure. The beauty of her face transformed into something far different, but no less blindingly beautiful. Almost translucent skin and glowing eyes took up residence in the Queen’s true form, and for a brief moment he was absolutely terrified. Only Elven royalty possessed these powers; powers he’d hoped to attain once he took her crown. He wanted to be feared.
“Ungrateful, insolent child. I loved you—raised you as my own son, and this is how you repay that kindness? By plotting and scheming to destroy entire realms? You are not fit to wear a crown, and the oracles would have seen your heart and disintegrated you as soon as you took it. A ruler must be just and honorable, two traits that I see very clearly now, that you do not possess. Did you think the oracles were just a tale to scare children since you have never seen them in your life? They do exist, as does their inherent right to keep balance by annihilating any unfit rulers. You would never have lived long enough to rule anything because of the sickness that resides in your heart. Your father was a traitor, as well, and died a traitors death. I had hoped with all my heart the same foolishness didn’t reside in you. Your father killed my mate, and I took you in and raised you. Gave you privilege and rights beyond anything you would’ve known as the son of a general.
“Your father had no rights to the crown, nor did your mother who unfortunately lost her life, as well, in that terrible dream of conquering Albequen. That wasn’t her dream, you know. It didn’t change the fact, however, that she plotted my murder. I didn’t listen to my advisors when they warned me that there was a streak of chaos within your blood from them and took you in anyway. Perhaps I am foolish, after all.”
He looked at her with a hatred that he felt deep down into his soul. She was a liar, about his mother and father, and the oracles hadn’t been seen in thousands of years, they didn’t exist anymore, if they ever did! His father had been a descendant of the High King prior to Darius ruling. He was the blooded heir of the prior king, and he should’ve ascended into the throne.
“Lies! My father was the heir! It should have been him on that throne, not a Queen!” he screamed.
The Queen’s eyes went full black for a moment, sh
owing the ancient lineage she came from. Calmly, she laced her hands together and looked at him. “We are a matriarchal throne, Morkain, or had you forgotten the way our people have established rulership here in Albequen? Darius, blessed may he be as he awaits me in the next life, was never an heir to the throne. I was. The oracles have been witness to all who have taken this immense responsibility of ruling our beloved lands. They have blessed Queens, not Kings, as the heirs for the last forty thousand years. Norgelon would have been the first after many generations of females, if the oracles and the people agreed to it at a time of my choosing. I do not know what stories you have created in your mind, but your father was no blooded heir to this throne, or any other. He worked his way up the ranks, much as you did, but began as just a warrior of the guard. I knew him well, and your mother also. Perhaps I should have spoken with you over the years. I regret that now, looking at your troubled soul. I did not mean to fail you so.”
“Liar! I’ve read Father’s journal a thousand and one times. It was all in there! He was Gabriel’s son!”
She looked at him strangely for a moment before shaking her head. “Oh how the mighty have fallen,” she whispered. “My brother Gabriel had no children, and of this I’m certain, as certain as I am of your particular lineage. Before he went to the Lake of Souls to move his journey on, he had far different preferences. His mate was a male Dragon, and they both sought refuge becoming pure energy where they could be at peace with each other. The Dragon was the son of a lord, and their mating was unfortunately frowned upon in their realm. It caused Gabriel and Khanu a great deal of pain before they decided to reunite in energy only in the next life. Beautiful souls, they both were. The realms lost good males that day.”
He shook his head, chanting, lies, lies, lies, over and over again in his head.
“Not that any of that matters even if it was true—which it is not—since even Gabriel was never an heir. We are a matriarchal line, and unless a Queen of Albequen has a boy child, as I did, and passes rulership down to the prince…it would always go to the princess. I was the eldest of three females, as you know. The crown would pass to my next eldest sister if the oracles and the people did not agree to Norgelon taking over my rule. Though, I had already received signs from the oracles that it was the way things would be when I was ready to join Darius. That was not long before his untimely accident, unfortunately. Then I learned of Isabel, and knew the fates had left me part of my son, thank the Gods. So, it is now Isabel’s first right, if she, the people, and the oracles so say that should be. Are you understanding this yet?”
“Liar. You’re a liar, I understand that—and Albequen will rot because of you.”
At that, she raised her chin, her eyes becoming small slits and void of all color once more. “I shall just have to see how well we do without your ever wise council, Morkain. You are hereby banned from this kingdom from now until the end of your life. Which I doubt will be very long after the prince finds out what you have done to his partner, and after the Gods catch up with you. That’s assuming of course, that Bodhe can get her back from the cursed ones. But, so help me, if the shadows take control of these lands or harm my granddaughter, I will hunt you down and kill you myself—and if I find that there is any truth to the dreams I have had of my son…you will be ripped apart over and over again until the end of days, or until I am satisfied that your death could not be more painful. On my honor as the Queen of Albequen, it is decreed. Guards!”
Large Elves of the guard came rushing in, apparently forewarned as they went to his sides immediately. “See that he removes his clothes and anything else he can carry from his own chamber. I believe that is beyond the kindness that you deserve, Morkain. There is an open order to take your life if you are seen in Albequen, or in any of the realms of light again. News carries quickly, of treachery and murder. Oh, and find this journal he speaks of. I am interested in its contents.”
She turned and strode out of the room, and he was dragged to his.
This isn’t over, Your Majesty. I will enjoy taking your crown. But first, your beloved Isabel will fall, he thought to himself. He had changed his mind on what the mortal girl deserved. He’d destroy her for the humiliation she just caused him.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Drinking Again...
~UNSEELIE REALM
He sifted into the Unseelie realm expecting to see Isabel, and instead found what had to be Queen Delia’s chamber. Everything was dark, and he stood in front of an enormous vanity that had the mirrors removed. Isabel’s necklace hung there on a corner of the wood. Anger swallowed him whole, and had he not pushed down the rage he may not have felt her nearby. She was still alive, thank the Gods. A low growl came from his throat.
He snatched the necklace, fixing the clasp with magic and securing it around his neck as he drew his sword. He would take on the entire Kingdom of Unseelie if it meant finding her intact. Gods, he would kill them all if he did not find her intact. Bodhe glided quietly to the door of the room and listened. Nothing stirred nearby, but there were voices in the distance.
“To what do I owe this pleasure, Prince?” came a soft voice from behind him in the shadows.
He whirled around to see the Delia standing there, her grotesque lips in a twisted grin.
“Cousin,” he greeted reluctantly, horrified at her appearance, “where is she?”
She slid toward him and he nearly winced at her. The last time he’d seen her she was divine, and now, Gods, now she was a beast from nightmares. “Why would I tell you where the girl is being kept?”
“Because I’ll kill you if you don’t.”
Delia feigned horror. “And do you not think this death you threaten would be a blessing to me? After all these years spent in hell? She can free us, and it is the last hope I have of getting out of here. I cannot even get to the Lake of Souls! Even if I wanted to end it all, I couldn’t. No one here will kill the damned Unseelie Queen. So kill me if you wish, it doesn’t matter. She is going to set my children free.”
“She’s my partner, Delia! You may be my cousin and I’m sorry for this hell that Baylor brought to you, but you’ll not stand in my way. If I must, I will take your life. Your children's lives as well.”
She just shrugged, even as fire had to be burning in his eyes. “I want out of here. I want my children out of here. We should not have been condemned for his choice. How many thousands of years have I been here, turning into this monster that feels nothing? I don’t even recall. I used to count the centuries with our feedings every hundred years, but I’ve lost track now. I want to die. I have tried to cheat this existence with death over and over again, but I cannot seem to chop off my own head. Can you imagine, Bodhe, what it’s like to take your own life over and over again, only to be made whole and open your eyes to this,” she gestured to the window with her arm, “every single time? I nearly cried for the first time in so long when she was in tears over her precious necklace and the mother that gave it to her. So simple, she is, and yet her emotions burn bright and make me feel like the monster I am…because I’m looking forward to having all of those delicious emotions running through my veins for the short time I’ll feel them. Hunger is outweighing all the good in me. Has outweighed it and continues to, actually. You’ve never suffered the way we’ve been forced to with the greedy Unseelie King. I’m tired of suffering, and I want at least my children out of this Gods forsaken hell.”
Her white eyes were stricken with the horrors of the years, and even though he felt bad for her, there was nothing else he could do. Unless…maybe there was. The injustice of it hit him just as hard as the solution, and he liked both things equally—which was not at all. Still, there was a way to fix this all.
“Delia, if I can promise you that there might be a way to save you and your children from this fate, will you let me go to her without me having to harm you? I don’t want hurt you, but I can’t wait any longer to get Isabel home. Please, don’t make me kill you, or your children. Let me try t
o save you. And for the love of the Gods, let me save her.”
She softened and oozing tears slid from her eyes before her features went dark. “For centuries we have suffered here. No one has come for us! The girls and I have suffered as you cannot imagine, and for what? So he could have a damned crown and rule over all of this!” she asked, gesturing dramatically around the room. “Why would I ever trust you to try and help us escape?”
“Because, I didn’t know until now that this wasn’t your choice. All of Loveryn and the realms thought that it was both of you that plotted against my father. I can see now that it wasn’t, Delia. Please, Amele can sift back. She can try and change the terms with the Elemental to exclude you and the children. She’s the only one insane enough to barter with the Gods, but she would if she knew the truth. Her heart is so much bigger than she lets on, and she would be absolutely pissed that this wasn’t seen by the Foresayers…or, maybe it was, and Keiren is setting it right at this very moment. I don’t know, but we will get you out of here. If I have to, I’ll summon the Gods myself. Please, I have to get her…find your heart.”
She wrung her gangly grey hands together and turned her back to Bodhe, looking out at the blood-red skies. “What about the laws? We cannot change what has happened in the past.”
“Let me deal with that. Besides, those are Elemental laws, and they can be broken by an Elemental. Amele will do this if I ask it of her. Please, tell me where my partner is being kept,” his voice was a whisper now.
She looked at him and her shoulders slumped, resigned. “Go, and do not forget your promise. I need one more promise from you, as well. If you can’t get us out, you must come back and kill me. I can’t remain this way anymore.” She waited until he promised, and then went on. “She is being kept ten rooms down on the left, turning right when you exit my chamber...but hurry. Baylor will soon be on his way to her now that she’s in such a heightened state, and I will be expected to join. He will see my thoughts and kill us all.”
Immortal Dreams (Immortal Realms Book 1) Page 28
