The Fairhaven Chronicles Boxed Set: The Revelations of Oriceran

by S. M. Boyce

  Audrey wanted to help her, or better yet tell her to go sit down, but her own hands were full. Two soldiers attacked her after the general’s bolt missed, one grabbing her shoulders and pulling her back as she kicked the other in the groin. The wounded one fell to his knees, clutching himself, but the other wove his arms through hers and locked them behind her head. She clawed for his hair, his eyes—anything to give her the upper hand—but he held her still.

  Three of the guards with a clear shot aimed their white energy beams straight into Victoria’s chest. She grunted, jaw tight as though she were being electrocuted, and fell to the floor seconds later. Her sword clattered to the ground and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

  “Victoria!” Audrey yelled, looking for a reaction. Victoria was so still she might have been dead.

  But she couldn’t be dead. Victoria would never leave Audrey hanging like that.

  The general watched Audrey struggle with the soldier, and he shook his head. “We can’t have this behavior from the princess.”

  “I'm not your princess,” Audrey spat.

  “You will be.” He put his hand flat against her abdomen and lifted a white crystal like the one she had been training with in the gardens.

  Oh, Shit. This would hurt.

  Electricity pummeled her, and her jaw tightened until it squeaked. Her fists clenched, and her body hummed. Worst of all was the pain. It was as though tiny creatures were slowly ripping apart every muscle in her body, but she could do nothing to stop them.

  The general removed his hand and Audrey crumpled in the soldier's grip. She tried to stand, but her shoe slid on her long skirts.

  These assholes had even gotten her to wear skirts. She was the Jeans Queen. She hated dresses and anything with frills. If they had been able to make her wear gowns, she had been closer to losing herself than she had realized.

  The general grabbed her arm and led her down the hallway, and her slippered feet shuffled to keep up.

  “You know what to do,” the general said to one of the soldiers.

  The solider lifted Victoria and the company marched down the hall, two more soldiers carrying an unconscious Diesel between them. Victoria blinked herself awake and caught Audrey's eye, and a surge of relief crashed through Audrey despite the terrible situation.

  Victoria wasn’t dead. Yet.

  Audrey did her best to hide her panic. She grimaced, using their unspoken gestures to ask for help. What I do?

  Victoria slowly shook her head. No idea. I’m thinking.

  The general tugged on Audrey’s arm, yanking her forward until she couldn't see Victoria anymore. Her mind raced to come up with a plan, but she had spent every waking moment since arriving in Atlantis in the castle. She didn't know the kingdom, or even how to leave except through the main entrance where they had come in, and it was unlikely the king and queen would just let her walk through the door.

  “Unhand me!" she shouted, doing her best impersonation of a spoiled princess.

  “I will, as soon as you remember who you really are,” the general said ominously.

  Audrey peered over her shoulder one more time, but Victoria was gone. The last few soldiers in the column marched down an earlier hallway as the general led her down another.

  “If you kill them I will make your life a living hell,” Audrey said, glaring at the general.

  He spun her around and pressed her against the wall, scowling at her. “You don't threaten me, princess. Your life was planned the minute you walked into the kingdom. You will take the crown, you will transform into an Atlantean, you will rule, and you will marry me so that I can finally be king.”

  “Jesus, could your plan be anymore cliché?”

  His jaw tensed, and Audrey figured he was debating whether to hit her. Bring it. She could take it, and it would just make her hate him more. It would fuel her fire.

  Instead, he released her and set a hand on the back of her neck. With his powerful thumb poking into her jaw, he guided her down the hallway. She tried to wriggle out of his grip, but his fingers pressed into her spine. She winced, walking forward to avoid the pain.

  This wouldn’t last. She, Victoria, and Diesel would get out of here. And if the general hurt a hair on Victoria's head, Audrey would kill the motherfucker.

  CHAPTER 25

  The general pushed Audrey ahead of him as they walked through another dark tunnel. This was more like a cave than any part of the castle. Audrey didn't have a clue where they were anymore. This place seemed to be filled with secret doors and passageways, which would've been cool in any other circumstance.

  “So what’s the plan, General?" she asked the Atlantean behind her.

  He put his hand on the small of her back, but she pushed him off her. Her body still ached from his attacks, and she didn't have the strength to do anything more than bat his hand away. To his credit, he didn't try again. “You'll see.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I assume you're taking me to the tiara.”

  It was a solid assumption and the general's eyebrows shot to his forehead in surprise, confirming she was right. It made sense, after all. She assumed there was some kind of controlling aspect to the tiara, and he would want her to wear it sooner rather than later to keep her under his thumb.

  That wouldn't happen.

  General Cato led her into a massive underground cavern with stalactites covering the ceiling, reaching toward them like teeth. A platform had been carved into the floor, and on it was an ornate silver altar, long enough for a person to lie on.

  Surprisingly, the king stood behind the altar with his arms behind his back and a disappointed expression on his face.

  “After all we've done for you,” he said softly, shaking his head.

  Audrey curtsied mockingly. “Thank you for your hospitality. I wasn't aware kidnapping your guests and forcing them to stay was customary.”

  The king clicked his tongue. “You will not speak to me that way.”

  “I just did.” Audrey quirked an eyebrow, daring him to do something about it.

  Sure, Audrey might have been walking a line here, but she didn't have many cards to play. For whatever reason they still wanted her to be their little princess, and if she could distract them long enough Victoria might be able to escape and get them all out of here.

  The king snapped his fingers, and the small army dragged in a struggling Victoria and an unconscious Diesel.

  Audrey sighed and resisted the impulse to face-palm. So much for her plan.

  She eyed the king. Usually he wore a long cloak which hid his shoulders and much of his body. Tonight, though, he'd gone without. His barrel chest and broad shoulders reminded her of an MMA fighter, and she wondered how strong an Atlantean had to be to be king. He could probably beat the general in a fistfight, and since she had just lost to Cato she doubted she could take them both.

  Brute force wasn't going to win this war or get her and her friends out safely. She needed to be clever.

  A realization hit Audrey. “I don’t remind you of your dead children, do I?”

  The king shook his head. “The queen and I have never had children, nor will we. Everything we did was done to woo you.”

  “How ethical.”

  The king placed his hands behind his back again. “Enough of this, Audrey. You must choose to either be an Atlantean and live with us, or spend your final moments as a commoner and die with your servants.”

  “Great choices,” she mumbled.

  The king shook his head patronizingly. “Either way, they die tonight. You don’t have to. Only Atlanteans may know of our great city. Surely you understood that? This law keeps us safe. Your servants’ deaths were inevitable. You've had your fun, so choose!”

  The soldiers dropped Victoria and Diesel at the foot of the platform, and Diesel’s eyes snapped open. He scanned the cave, his hand searching his chest for something, and he looked panicked. His mouth eventually settled into a fine, grim line, and he stared at Audrey as if waiting for her to ac
t.

  The king snapped his fingers, and a servant girl brought a pillow with the tiara on it. The king lifted the headpiece and walked toward her, every step slow and precise as he held her gaze. “This is an Atlantean Artifact, remember, one that will be your eternal tie to the city. To fuse with it, you must sacrifice something precious to you. I recommend you sacrifice them.” He gestured toward Victoria and Diesel.

  Audrey needed a plan, but her mind kept drawing blanks. Perhaps she could pit the two Atlantean men against each other. “The general is playing you—”

  “I know,” the king said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

  “What?" The general and Audrey said in unison.

  “You've wanted to rule for decades, Cato. I assumed you fabricated the story about Audrey's heritage, but it's of no matter to me. You'll rule if and when I let you. For now, I want my heir. Audrey, come.”

  Shit. That plan hadn’t worked either.

  Audrey’s curiosity got the better of her. “Why me? You have a kingdom full of full-blooded Atlanteans but you want some human hybrid?”

  The king smirked, his eyes narrowing, and a chill shot clear to Audrey’s toes. “Yes, I want a hybrid. I can program you to do whatever I desire. Your blended nature is powerful and gives you better access to the Atlantean magic in your blood, but you’re emotionally weak, Audrey. That’s the human in you. You want to please, and your willpower will fail over time. You will obey me, and you won’t have a choice in the matter. You won’t remember this conversation. By the time I’m done with you, you won’t even remember those commoners you came here with, much less your life before Atlantis. Now, girl, come here.”

  Mind racing, Audrey hesitated. Her impulse was to punch him in the gut, but that would most likely backfire. To stall for time, she reached for the tiara. As her fingers touched the glistening metal, the Atlantean voice within her shrieked with joy. It wanted her to put it on, and she felt the familiar tingling numbness that had come every time she listened to it. This time she would not surrender to the voice.

  But the king didn't know that.

  “It is beautiful,” she said in her best imitation of a mindless drone. She tried to sound airy and dazed. Hopefully he would take the bait.

  “It is,” the king said softly.

  Her heart thumping, Audrey lifted the crown to examine it in the light, using the opportunity to cast a wary glance toward Victoria. As their eyes connected, Victoria smirked.

  Good. She knew what Audrey was trying to do. Hopefully Victoria could get them out of here, because Audrey was plumb out of ideas.

  ***

  Victoria knew that expression on Audrey's face. It was clear panic. Help me.

  Victoria subtly pointed toward the king. Stall them.

  Audrey nodded slowly, disguising the motion by tucking her hair behind her ear.

  It was everything Victoria could do to not let out a sigh of relief. She had been so afraid she had lost her friend, but something had happened back in the hallway to wake Audrey up.

  Thank God. Now, to get out of here…

  The king paced around Audrey, his hands behind his back. “It may cause you pain to kill them, dear, but your rewards will be great. You will have a public that adores you. You will have a kingdom at your feet. You will have a home.”

  At that Audrey froze, her eyes glazing over just a little as she stared at the tiara.

  Shit, Victoria didn't have much time. Whatever they had done to brainwash her before, it looked like maybe it was working again.

  The stubborn warrior in Victoria wanted to stay and run her sword through them all, but she couldn't. The frustration of not being strong enough to wield her sword and shield at the same time weighed on her. She had all this power available, but she didn't have the strength to use it.

  They would have to run.

  Styx flitted from boulder to boulder nearby, staying out of sight. He paused on one and stared at her, probably waiting for orders.

  “Stand down,” she mouthed to him.

  He nodded his tiny head and retreated to the shadows.

  “What do we do?" Diesel whispered in her ear. He had snuggled against her, but she didn't have time to care that he had taken advantage of yet another inappropriate moment to steal a bit of intimacy.

  She leaned her forehead against his as though she were a frightened lover, using the proximity to plan their escape. “I don't know. Can you cook up a magic portal to get us out of here?”

  “Yeah, but it's illegal and highly dangerous.”

  Victoria couldn’t help herself. She quirked an eyebrow and studied him, trying to tell if he was joking. “I was kidding, but are you serious?”

  He nodded. “I need my staff, but I can do it.”

  “Where is it?”

  “That asshole has it,” Diesel nodded toward one of the soldiers in the back, who leaned on Diesel's staff as though it were just a piece of wood he had found in the forest and not a powerful magical artifact. The soldier examined his nails, not even paying attention to the forced coronation on the platform before him. Maybe this was standard fare for Atlantis.

  Hell, it probably was. This place had its fair share of crazy.

  “How much energy do you have to fight?" Diesel whispered in her ear.

  “Enough.” Victoria's muscles ached, but at least she wasn't dizzy anymore. She could see straight again, and she didn't feel as though she were having the life choked out of her. A migraine squeezed the back of her head and lights danced in her vision, but the Rhazdon Artifact was healing her already. She would be fine in just a few minutes. She could even take a few more blows to the chest from that white energy the Atlanteans loved using, but each time one hit she ran the risk of it worsening her pulsing migraine.

  “Cover me, then,” Diesel said. He jumped to his feet, and Victoria followed suit. She summoned her shield and threw herself into the crowd of soldiers. They crumpled beneath her, and she put all her energy into making the shield as heavy as she possibly could. At least ten of them were trapped beneath it, and she struggled as the massive weight pulled on her arm. She tried to move with it, but a few of the other soldiers who had escaped the blow attacked her from behind.

  On the platform, the king rolled up his sleeves, shaking his head. “When you want something done right—”

  “Do it yourself,” Audrey finished for him. She reached into the general's pocket and pulled out the glistening white crystal he had stolen from her, then kicked him squarely in the chest. He shot over the side of the platform and skidded on the floor. Seconds later, Audrey released a hail of white lightning at the king.

  The energy hit the king's chest and he sailed in the opposite direction as the general, skidding across the floor and hitting his head hard on a protruding boulder.

  Victoria released the shield and it disappeared. She jumped to her feet and drew her sword, slashing at the Atlanteans stupid enough to attack her. They were inching in on either side of her, several of them preparing a white energy attack. She needed to get to better ground. A gap appeared between her and the altar, so she bolted for it to distract them from Diesel’s rescue attempt on his staff.

  A hail of white light shot around her as the guards attacked, but she ducked behind the altar and pulled Audrey behind it as well with seconds to spare. The energy burned the altar’s ornate legs and seared into the carved platform.

  Bursts of green light cut through the soldiers just then, and several of the men screamed. The ground shook, and Victoria risked a peek around the altar to find Diesel in the middle of the cavern, the soldiers around him unconscious on the floor.

  Victoria quirked an eyebrow. “That'll do.”

  He ran toward them as one of the soldiers stumbled to his feet to give chase. Unfazed, Diesel aimed his staff at the Atlantean and let loose a green blast of light that hit the soldier so hard he flipped.

  In seconds Diesel skidded behind the altar, and Victoria grinned. “Nice work.”

  “Ready to
leave?" Diesel asked.

  Audrey nodded violently. “Get me out of this place.”

  Diesel chuckled and extended his hands, face furrowing with focus. “I need you to take care of anyone who tries to distract me. I have to do this exactly right, or we could all die.”

  “Oh, no pressure,” Victoria said. She drew her sword and peered around the altar, where she saw several of the guards starting to stand up.

  A blast of white light nearly hit her in the head, but sizzled against the altar inches away instead.