The Fairhaven Chronicles Boxed Set: The Revelations of Oriceran

by S. M. Boyce

  Luak sneered. “You’re not listening, old man.”

  “Quite the contrary. I heard everything clearly, but threats don’t faze me. I’ve heard too many in my long life to care about one more.”

  With a disappointed shake of his head Luak dropped the crystal on the floor, and it tinked and then clattered along the floor, rolling away until it hit the wall. Fyrn instinctively cringed at such a powerful object being so casually chucked aside, but it further proved his suspicion that Luak—thankfully—had no idea what he had in his possession.

  The elf rolled up his sleeves, and dread shot clear to Fyrn’s toes. His veins turned to ice when he saw the two Rhazdon Artifacts embedded in Luak’s forearms. One spiraled up his arm like a golden snake, and the other looked like a golden talisman fused with his skin. Dark purple veins spiraled away from them as though they were filled with poison.

  Fyrn couldn’t help himself—he gaped. He’d suspected Luak had more than one Rhazdon Artifact, but neither of these were the legendary Firestarter—the one that gave him his fire magic. These were different.

  That meant Luak had at least three Rhazdon Artifacts, which would make him almost impossible to defeat—even for Victoria.

  “I’ve failed you,” he said, too softly for even himself to hear.

  And he had. Somehow, someway, he should have seen this coming and prepared Victoria appropriately.

  He simply hadn’t.

  Luak’s sneer widened. “You haven’t seen what I’m capable of, old man. I will get the info I need, one way or another. How much pain that causes you is entirely up to you. Now, shall we begin?”

  CHAPTER 5

  Diesel pressed against a castle wall, ears twitching as they strained to hear through the enchanted peephole into one of the palace’s war rooms.

  He narrowed his eyes and peered into the room. To the dozen elves seated at the table, his peephole was nothing more than an eye in a painting on the wall. They wouldn’t see him move or hear him breathe, but he would know everything that happened.

  Being a confidant to the former king had had its privileges, and Diesel probably knew more about the castle than the deceased ruler himself.

  He faltered, eyes dropping to the floor as he recalled seeing his friend’s body on the ground in Lochrose. Truth be told, King Bornt had been a terrible monarch with little political expertise, and Diesel had told him as much when he was alive. They had been friends, and his friend was gone.

  At least he’d had a proper burial with the witches and wizards of Lochrose. He would be remembered, even if Diesel couldn’t tell anyone he was dead.

  Not yet.

  Doing so would reveal his connection to Victoria and, more importantly, her newly-acquired Rhazdon Artifact. Those back at the safehouse might accept her, but most of Fairhaven would not.

  The door on the far side opened, and Diesel tensed as Luak entered the room. Everyone stiffened in their seats, and even Diesel held his breath. He channeled his frustrated hatred into his hands, tightening them into fists in lieu of doing something stupid to the Light Elf who wanted to murder the love of his life.

  Victoria may not have had any feelings for Diesel, but he would protect her regardless.

  “We have two public enemies at large,” Luak said, his eyes sweeping the faces at the table, “and as of now there has been no progress in finding them. How is it that two little girls have escaped Fairhaven’s finest minds?”

  Diesel nearly laughed. Luak had killed most of the brightest people in Fairhaven during his little coup—the one where Diesel had been on the hit list. If he hadn’t been visiting Victoria when the murders took place, he very well might have died with the rest of them.

  “We’re searching, Lord Luak,” a shrill voice said. Diesel tilted his head and saw a goblin he hadn’t noticed before in the corner.

  “Enough,” an elf with broad shoulders said as he stood. It was Eldrin, one of the lieutenant generals of the army. His chair scraped the floor as he glowered at Luak. “You have spoken for the king far too often for my liking. We’re waging a war against a hero of this town, and even if she is a Rhazdon host I will have no more of your lies! I will speak to the king!”

  To his credit, Luak didn’t flinch. He didn’t so much as blink. He simply nodded ever so subtly toward the elf, who had rested his large hands on the table.

  At the silent command, four ogres burst into the room and swarmed the elf too quickly for him to protest. Everyone else leaned away. Diesel craned his neck, but he could only see the hulking shoulders and dirt-stained armor of the ogres as they loomed over the dissenter.

  When they parted, the elf lay unconscious on the ground. Two grabbed his arms and dragged him from the room, likely never to be seen again.

  This charade wouldn’t last. It wouldn’t be long before Luak declared himself King of Fairhaven outright.

  “Would anyone else like to speak to the king?” Luak asked kindly, eyebrows lifting as he scanned the room. “Come, now, don’t be shy.”

  Every pair of eyes drifted to the floor, and Diesel fumed. Eldrin was a hero, an elf who had defended Fairhaven at every opportunity, and he didn’t deserve this fate. Diesel would have to see if he could get him out of the dungeons.

  He slunk down the hallway, doing his best to keep up with the ogres as they descended the stairs. The thin passage was barely wide enough for him to walk through, much less run, and he found himself sliding sideways along the narrower portions as he checked any peephole he could find to track their progress.

  Finally they reached the dungeons, and they threw Eldrin into the first available cell. Most were locked, their inmates huddled in the shadows. Diesel scanned the bars, wondering when he could slip in to—

  “For the old wizard,” a man said.

  Diesel’s heart skipped a beat as he froze. There was only one old wizard in Fairhaven.

  He craned his neck to find the speaker—an elf who held a tray of moldy bread and black water. One of the ogres nodded him through, and he disappeared into the flickering shadows cast by the sparse fires in the sconces along the wall.

  “Dinner’s ready, Fyrn,” the elf said with a sneer, his voice echoing down the hall.

  Diesel’s throat went dry and dread shot clear to his toes. He ran his hands through his hair, barely able to contain the rising panic in his chest.

  They had Fyrn. He had to tell Victoria immediately.

  CHAPTER 6

  Victoria paced the safehouse kitchen, biting her thumbnail nervously. Styx had gone to find the fairies and search for Fyrn, but Victoria could only retreat to the safehouse and try to come up with a plan. Bertha and Audrey sat at the dining table, but no one spoke.

  After all, what was there to say? The general sense of panic and disbelief were almost too much to bear.

  Luak had Fyrn. Their strongest ally. The most knowledgeable person not just about magic and war, but also about Fairhaven.

  Her mentor.

  “What are we going to do?” she asked the women at the table.

  Audrey dropped her head into both hands, nervously drumming her fingers on her hairline as she stared at the grain of the wood. “You’re the smart one, Victoria. If anyone can figure out how to proceed, it’s you.”

  “Where is Diesel?” Bertha asked.

  Victoria shrugged and spun on her heel to pace the length of the kitchen again. “I haven’t heard from him in about a day. He was going to infiltrate the castle and get us intel on the war room meetings.”

  Audrey slumped in her seat. “What if… What if Luak…”

  “No, don’t even start,” Victoria said sharply. She glared at Audrey, unwilling to even entertain the possibility that Diesel had been captured as well.

  Footsteps raced up the stairs from the basement, which held the entrance to the passage into the tunnels. All three women stood and braced themselves for whatever was about to round the corner.

  Diesel flung himself through the doorway, hand on the frame to slow his approa
ch as he slid along the floor. His chest heaved, and Victoria couldn’t deny the wave of relief that crashed through her at seeing him safe and sound.

  But they had business to attend to.

  “Luak has Fyrn!” she and Diesel said at the same time.

  Victoria hesitated. She was caught a little off-guard that he knew already, and he looked just as surprised that she did. The expression lasted only a moment, though, before it was replaced by his trademark grin.

  “You’re so clever,” he said with a wink.

  She set her hands on her hips. “This is serious. Focus.”

  His smile fell, and he nodded. “You’re right, it’s bad. If Luak was able to defeat Fyrn, it’s only a matter of time before he comes for us all.”

  “We have to get him out of there,” Victoria said, pacing some more.

  “You’re right again,” Diesel said, “and I know who can help us.”

  Victoria quirked an eyebrow, not entirely sure she liked where this conversation was going. “Who?”

  “The Speaker of the Senate, Lady Spry, is still alive. She’s loyal to Fairhaven and whatever will preserve the liberties of the people. She will help us.”

  “Whoa, no way,” Victoria said, lifting a hand to stop that train of thought in its tracks. “She’s still breathing because Luak thinks she can be useful to him. He’s not going to keep anyone alive who will stand against him.”

  Diesel grinned. “Lady Spry is one of the women he’s trying to woo. He wants her as his queen—or maybe one of many. He fancies her, and underestimates her cunning. That’s why she’s still alive.”

  Victoria laughed. “Luak doesn’t strike me as the romantic type, Diesel.”

  “It’s true,” Bertha piped up. “Lady Spry has had hundreds of suitors over the years. There are rumors that she can enrapture any man. She’s a clever woman, and if Diesel trusts her, so do I.”

  Victoria crossed her arms and bit her lip as she processed this new idea. She didn’t like trusting new people, much less someone in Luak’s inner circle. This was too much, too fast.

  But if they wanted to save Fyrn, they didn’t have the luxury of time. They had to act quickly, before…

  She swallowed hard to suppress the thought of losing him to a monster like Luak, and called upon the gifts in her bear figurine to think clearly and calmly. She had to make a logical choice, not an emotional one.

  As her nerves simmered, she closed her eyes and reviewed what she knew.

  Fyrn was locked in the dungeons.

  Diesel could get them inside.

  Lady Spry had contacts on the inside and could pull strings to get Fyrn out safely—probably.

  “What would Lady Spry do for us?” Victoria asked.

  “Distract Luak,” Diesel said. “He’ll be expecting a rescue attempt. He’ll be expecting you. I think this is a trap, Victoria, and we need all the help we can get to keep him away from you.”

  Victoria nodded. It made sense. With her panic and fear at bay, she could finally see this for what it was: a crazy-as-fuck plan, but the only one they had.

  And it all came down to this new woman—Lady Spry, a politician Victoria had never met.

  “Get her,” Victoria ordered, “and bring her here. I want to talk to her myself.”

  ***

  Audrey scribbled down some ideas on how to get Fyrn out of the castle dungeon, but so far her notes looked more like doodles of explosions and an angry stick figure of Luak dressed as the Queen of Hearts, shouting, “Off with her head!”

  It wasn’t as cathartic as Audrey had envisioned it would be.

  Victoria sat at the head of the table fuming, arms crossed as she stared at a charred plate of…well, something in front of her. Audrey wasn’t quite sure what it was, but it looked like it had once been oatmeal. Behind her, Bertha whisked a bowl of something sugary. Plumes of white powder flew into the air as she stared absently at the wall.

  No one here handled stress well.

  The door to the basement creaked open, and everyone stood. Chairs scraped the floor as swords were drawn, or in Victoria’s case, summoned. Audrey held her breath as they waited for whoever had joined them to show their face.

  A regal woman stepped into the kitchen, her back erect as she surveyed the room. Her dark eyes rested momentarily on Audrey’s face and then flitted to the tiara on her head, but Audrey wasn’t about to hide what she was. Not here.

  This was her territory.

  The woman’s white robes had gold hems that slid along the ground as she stepped into the kitchen. Her dark hair had been pinned into a bun, which showed off her slender neck as she took a soft breath and bowed her head.

  “Ladies,” she said, her voice like honey.

  Damn. Soft, elegant, graceful…no wonder this classy chick had all the men. Audrey sheathed her sword and crossed her arms, trying to rein in a sudden wave of envy she didn’t fully understand.

  Diesel appeared behind her, all smiles. “See, I told you she would help us!”

  Victoria walked toward the woman with her shoulders squared and a glare on her face that could melt snow. “And how do we know you won’t go to Luak when you’re done here?”

  Diesel’s smile fell. “Victoria, please…”

  “No, it’s all right,” Lady Spry said with a gentle nod of her head. “You are wise to be worried, Victoria, but I assure you I want that Light Elf dead. However I can prove myself to you, I will.”

  Victoria nodded and said without breaking eye contact, “Diesel, make a favor pact between the lady and me.”

  “What?” Diesel’s jaw dropped open. “Do you understand who this—”

  “I know who she is, Diesel, and as insurance she is going to owe me a favor—one I will return to her when Fyrn is safely home.”

  A thin, almost relieved smile spread across the woman’s face, and Audrey couldn’t help but be impressed. Nothing fazed this woman.

  “Gladly,” Lady Spry said. “I understand your caution, Victoria, and I will happily do this for you if it means we both get what we want.”

  “And what do you want?” Victoria asked, standing a bit taller.

  “Luak dead. Fairhaven returned to its former peaceful state. A new monarch on the throne.”

  Audrey’s shoulders drooped, as did Diesel’s. Poor King Bornt.

  “I have a better idea,” Diesel said, eyes glazing over momentarily as he lost himself to thought. “A binding agreement.”

  Victoria finally broke eye contact with the Speaker of the Senate to stare at him blankly. “A what?”

  “A magical legal agreement that binds us to its terms,” Lady Spry said. “I would accept this.”

  Victoria crossed her arms, apparently not satisfied yet. “What happens if you break the agreement?”

  “Instant death.”

  Audrey rolled her eyes. “Only in Fairhaven.”

  Hands on her hips, Victoria lifted her chin defiantly. “Fine. My terms are this: you never speak of anything we discuss to anyone unless I, Diesel, or Audrey are present. You will see to it that Fyrn is freed, regardless of the cost to you.”

  The noblewoman nodded. “And my terms are this: you will depose Luak and see to it he is killed for his crimes against Fairhaven, even if you must deliver the final blow yourself. You will do everything in your power to find a worthwhile successor and protect Fairhaven and its people until your dying day.”

  Victoria’s shoulders relaxed ever so slightly and her expression softened. Not in horror, as Audrey’s would have, but in relief. “That’s what you want?”

  Lady Spry smiled. “It is all I have ever wanted. You and I will find a suitable replacement for the late King Bornt, and you will continue to protect Fairhaven even after the replacement is found.”

  Victoria smiled. “I think we have a deal.”

  The woman offered her hand, and Victoria shook it. As their skin touched, their eyes glowed white. Runes appeared on their arms and trailed up their necks, and Victoria froze in place. Lady S
pry simply closed her eyes, as if this were routine and perhaps a bit enjoyable.

  Audrey stiffened, but Diesel gently shook his head. “It’s fine,” he mouthed.

  Not entirely convinced, Audrey kept one hand on the hilt of her sword, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

  Within seconds, the glow began to fade. Victoria relaxed, and Lady Spry swayed slightly. Diesel set his hand on her shoulder to steady her, and she flashed him a grateful smile before returning her attention to Victoria.