Glimmer (Faylinn #4)

by Mindy Hayes

  She’d kissed me back.

  And then had initiated another kiss.

  Why had she stopped?

  As I trekked across the grass toward the set of old oak trees she always sat in front of, I searched up and down the woods for any sign of her. There wasn’t a soul. Lia wouldn’t have gone into the forest alone, though, right? She knew better than anyone what she could find, or rather, who could find her. And without the same abilities she’d once had, Lia couldn’t protect herself the same way. Would she have done it anyway to sate her need to be closer to the trees? Probably.

  I took one step over the tree line. “Lia?” The wind rustled the leaves. “Lia?” I cupped my hand over my mouth, calling out louder.

  Nothing.

  My heart started to do this erratic beating thing, and my hands started to fidget at my sides. What if something had happened to her?

  “Lia!” I closed my eyes, shutting down all other senses, hoping to hear something. “Lia!” Anything. “Lia!”

  Nothing.

  My heart slumped when another thought crossed my mind. What if she’d finally moved away? We hadn’t talked about her moving over the last couple weeks, but that didn’t mean anything. Lia never told me anything. I knew it was always inevitable. She didn’t want to be dependent on me forever. She was finally capable of surviving on her own. This was her opportunity to take it. I needed to accept she wasn’t always going to be around.

  I turned away from the green to head back to my apartment. All I could do was wait. Not patiently, because that wasn’t in my nature, but she could show up soon. If she decided to leave, she wouldn’t have left without all of her stuff. She couldn’t have wanted to avoid me that badly. Yeah, she might have.

  Watching my step around a fallen tree, a reddish-orange strand of material flapping in the wind caught my eye. I reached down to pick up the familiar ribbon snagged on a bush. Lia’s ribbon.

  Panic surged through me. I spun around. “Lia!”

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  SARAI

  “Prince Marcus is here to see you, Your Majesty.”

  At the mention of his name, my body filled with heat and anticipation. I cleared my throat to refrain from sounding affected by Marcus’s expected presence. “Send him in, Kayne.”

  Marcus’s broad figure filled the doorway, a glow from the corridor illuminating around him. Kayne closed the door when Marcus stepped inside, giving us privacy.

  “Marcus,” I walked toward him, “it is good to see you so unexpectedly.”

  “Sarai.” My name was a ragged whisper. Looking closer, the whites of his eyes were red with dark rims below them. His normal kept and formal countenance was absent.

  Oh, no. What happened? Who died? Another assassination? Was he hurt?

  All of these thoughts flew through my mind, but I didn’t get to question him. In two steps Marcus had me in his arms, and his lips covered mine, vaporizing every thought. Gasping, I curled my hands around his arms. Marcus kissed me like I could disappear with my thoughts. Every nip and taste and stroke was more urgent than the last. His fingers gripped the back of my dress so tightly I heard stitches pop. Our bodies molded into one. If not for his hold on me, I would’ve been a puddle on the floor. I couldn’t keep up with his urgency, so I let his mouth take control. I was at his mercy.

  Over too soon, he broke away, breathing heavily. “Forgive me.” His panting fell across my swollen lips.

  I pecked him once to offer him confirmation. I would not bestow any forgiveness. He had no reason to be sorry, unless he was apologizing for leaving so unexpectedly days prior.

  “I believe that makes us even,” I said, my mind revisiting our last kiss and my presumptuousness. Not to mention his sudden departure.

  Marcus laughed. At least I thought that was what it was. It sounded strange, self-deprecating. “Sarai.” My name was a plea.

  “Marcus?” I questioned.

  “You are so beautiful.” His words touched my wet lips. They were only words, and yet, they reached inside my body and stirred around the butterflies lying in wait.

  “That kiss was perhaps poor timing, but I want you to know I do not mourn Nerida as the love of my life. I mourn her as my best friend.” He kissed the side of my head.

  I shook my head. “You already told me. You do not owe me any explanations, Marcus. I kissed you first. My timing was poor.”

  “You did not do anything I haven’t wanted to do for a long time. I kissed you today because it pained me to refrain for another second, and I knew it might be my last. I shouldn’t have, and I fear as soon as I tell you why I kissed you, you will never forgive me, Sarai.” Why did my name continually sound so painful for him to say?

  “That is unlikely.” I smiled to reassure him, even though his words weighed on me. He could tell me anything. I wanted this. Maybe our timing was poor since we were in the middle of a search for faery assassins, but I was going to listen to Calliope and take the opportunity before I lost it.

  Marcus did not smile back. His arms dropped from around me as he stepped away. I did not like this maneuver. I wanted him pressed against me. Before I could take a step closer to him, he said, “I know who is behind the assassinations. I’ve known all along.”

  “I don’t … I don’t understand.” I shook my head. If I shook it hard enough, would his words make sense? Could I un-hear his confession?

  “I was vastly bitter after the Battle of Faylinn. Rymidon losing the war wasn’t enough for me. I would’ve done anything to avenge Nerida’s death.”

  What was he saying? There wasn’t enough oxygen in my lungs to pump to my brain. No ability for me to form complete thoughts.

  “When Guthron approached me, I thought they were only going to target Adair’s men. He said they knew the difference between the ones who truly followed Adair and those who were under his Supremacy. I didn’t know you, Sarai. I didn’t know enough about Rymidon. I thought I was justified.”

  Justified? I couldn’t see Marcus. A layer of tears obscured my vision. No matter how many times I blinked, more tears emerged. My head wouldn’t stop shaking. I couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth.

  “They needed someone inside Rymidon to steer away suspicion, to buy them time while they took out his men one-by-one. I didn’t know they were taking our blood. As soon as you told me the blood of the faeries was drained, I realized I was on the wrong side. I confronted Guthron, but he refused to tell me why. I held no grounds to force him or any of the other elves. They could’ve exposed me or disposed of me. Sarai, if I had known their plan, you have to know I never would have stood behind them.”

  Words lodged in my throat. Inside, I was screaming, but I couldn’t force my mouth to move.

  “Please say something, Sarai. Please.”

  I didn’t bother to wipe my eyes. “The other kingdoms? The other deaths?”

  He shook head and nervously licked his lips. “I lied. None of the other kingdoms were targeted. Only Rymidon.”

  “Not even Oraelia?” I rasped.

  He answered with another shake, his head lowering.

  “And now? Why are you disclosing this to me now?” I demanded. I couldn’t control the volume of my voice. My throat no longer understood the meaning of calm. “Do you expect my forgiveness? Because you will never get that from me. You betrayed me, Marcus. I am not my father. You said so yourself. And yet you stood before me over and over again pretending to help, pretending to be ignorant, watching my distress and sorrow. I trusted you. Fully!”

  “I know. I know. I don’t expect your forgiveness. I could beg for it, but I know I don’t deserve it. I’d never ask that of you.”

  I clenched my teeth, willing myself to stop crying. “How gullible you must think I am, taking everything you said at face value.” Why did I not have Kayne continue contacting the other kingdoms? “What kind of queen is so easily taken advantage of?”

  “No, Sarai. Do not do that. I gave you every reason to trust me. And
as hard as it will be now, I need you to try to trust me again. I came to tell you all of this because the elves have found the right amount of blood needed to change.”

  “They have the scroll? All of the elves are changing?” I choked.

  “As well as some faeries who were changed to humans and no longer had the ability to change back. Guthron finally trusted me enough to disclose their purpose.”

  “Why?” I spat. “What is the purpose?”

  “Guthron wants to create an army. They are coming to destroy Rymidon. They are tired of being the inferior race, of being deprived of their own kingdom. Once they conquer Rymidon, I fear they will move onto the next kingdom. But if we can stop them before they begin changing, they won’t have an army. We can seize the blood and secure it in a safe place and destroy the scroll.”

  “But they already have the knowledge needed. What is to keep them from continuing their crusade? We cannot take them all out, Marcus. I do not want another war!”

  “Maybe it won’t come to that,” he said, contemplative.

  I turned from him. I couldn’t look at him any longer. Looking at Marcus hurt. “How do I know I can even trust you now? How do I know the elves did not send you in here to … I don’t know! Throw us off? Lure us into a trap?”

  “Why would I disgrace my honor beforehand by admitting what I did? Why confess at all if my plan was succeeding. I have no desire to hurt you, Sarai. Let me make this right.”

  “You already hurt me, Marcus. You betrayed me! You put my entire kingdom in danger. How will we know if the Rymidonians who were killed were Adair sympathizers? For all you know, the elves lied to you. And even if they were supporters of my father, it does not give you the right to have them put to death! The war caused enough bloodshed. As their queen, that should have been my decision. Not yours!”

  All he could do was nod. He looked so pathetic, and I could not revel in his misery. I was too livid with him to care.

  “You’re right. And I’ll never forgive myself. I let the wrong emotions consume me. I should have come directly to you, but the deal was made hastily, and before I knew you existed. And when we first met I couldn’t trust you. For all I knew, you were just like your father.”

  “You should have tried. And now we have to deal with the elves, and I don’t know if I can put my faith in you again to help me do that.”

  “I know it’s difficult, Sarai. You have every reason to turn your back on me, but because of me, every kingdom is now in danger. I have to fix this. It’s my responsibility to make it right. I do not want anyone else harmed. I swear on Oraelia, I can keep us from entering into another war.”

  With each deep breath I tried to draw in, my chest constricted. Shooting pains spread through my heart. “Your plan better work, otherwise I am holding you accountable. Everyone will know what you did.”

  “I will not let you down. I promise.”

  His promise meant nothing. And my threat was empty. No one could ever know what Marcus had done. None of the kingdoms could ever know the power of our blood and what could happen should it fall into the wrong hands.

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  CAMERON

  “C’mon.” I tapped my foot. “C’mon, c’mon, c’mon. Where are you, Callie?”

  What was taking her so long? Did Dugal drag his feet all the way through Faylinn? I’d told him he needed to fly like the wind. My legs couldn’t handle standing still. I paced back and forth, scouring the woods for any sight of her.

  I flashed the light on my cellphone. It’d been an hour. She should’ve been here by now. Couldn’t she appear out of thin air now with that door in her castle?

  “What is it, Cameron? What’s wrong?”

  Spinning around, I saw Calliope flip down from a tree limb. “Took you long enough! It’s Lia. I think she’s been kidnapped.”

  “Kidnapped?” Calliope drew back, confused. “By who?”

  “I don’t know! She left for work this morning. And she was supposed to be home five hours ago. First, I went to her work. They said she’d left hours before. I went back home and all of her stuff is still at my apartment. So, then I went to the trees where she always sits. It calms her down,” I explained. “She wasn’t there, but when I wandered into the forest I found this.” I pulled out Lia’s ribbon. Calliope looked at me like I was crazy. “It’s Lia’s. She says it reminds her of her wings. She carries it with her everywhere she goes. She wouldn’t have left it behind.”

  “And so you think because you found this ribbon in the forest, someone kidnapped Lia? Who would do that?”

  “I don’t know, Cal! Just do something about it. Ask your people. Someone has to have her, someone has to know.”

  “I’m listening to you, Cam, but there’s no reason for someone to take her.”

  “No reason? Doesn’t everyone blame her for spying on you and essentially being the catalyst for the war?”

  “Well, some, yes, but there are serious consequences. No one is allowed to touch Lia. She’s suffered enough. We all have.”

  “That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t try. Callie, I know I sound crazy. I know this doesn’t make sense, but I know Lia well enough now to know she wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye. She just got a job. She was finally putting down some roots. She wouldn’t leave behind all of her stuff unless she was forced to go.”

  Calliope finally grasped my desperation. “Okay, okay.” She held out her hands to calm me down. “I’ll see what I can find out.”

  “Let me come with you.”

  “Shouldn’t you stay in case she comes back?”

  “Please let me come, Cal. At least for a day or so. With you, I can be proactive. If I stay at home, all I’ll do is worry. There’s nowhere else for me to look for her. She doesn’t have a car. She walks to work. I can’t file a police report, not that it would do any good, considering I don’t have any pictures of her, and there would be no record of her anywhere.”

  “Cam, there are a lot of dangerous things going on in the faery world right now. I don’t feel safe bringing you into it.”

  “What kind of dangerous things?”

  Calliope sighed. “There have been a lot of sporadic killings. Faeries left with their throats slashed, drained of blood.”

  “All the more reason why finding Lia is so important. What if someone is after her? What if this is trickling down from the war?”

  “Cam, it’s not. All the kingdoms are being targeted, not just Rymidon.”

  “Even Faylinn?”

  “Well, we haven’t had any killings yet, but it’s only a matter of time. Sarai’s kingdom has already lost fifteen.”

  “Cal, you have to have some sort of connection here. I don’t know how, but Lia got tangled up in it. For all we know she could be the next Rymidonite—”

  “Rymidonian,” she corrected.

  “Whatever. She could be the next one to wind up dead. You have to take me with you. I know in my gut she’s not here. She’s there. I was supposed to take care of her for you, and I didn’t. I can’t just sit here on my butt and do nothing.”

  Calliope heaved a sigh. “Fine. Let’s go.”

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  SARAI

  I did not wait for proper introductions. I burst past Calliope’s Keepers and into the atrium.

  Calliope jumped up from her desk at my sudden entrance. “Sarai, what are you doing here?”

  “We need to talk,” I said, my sight catching others in the room. Kai reclining on the couch, Declan standing by Calliope’s side, and Cameron sitting on the window seat. “What is Cameron doing here?”

  Calliope pressed her fingers into the side of her temple, looking exhausted. “Lia’s missing. He thinks someone here kidnapped her.”

  Oh, no. Oh, no. No, no, no. “Calliope, I need to speak with you alone. Now.”

  Understanding lit her eyes. She turned her focus to Cameron. “Just wait outside, Cameron. I’ll come get you in a minute.”

  “No, I’m not stup
id.” He planted himself on the seat, his arms folded across his chest, his feet flat on the floor. “If this is about Lia, I want to know. Don’t keep me in the dark. Please.” One of Calliope’s Keepers would be forced to pick him up and drag him out of here, and we didn’t have any more time to lose. We would have to tell Cameron eventually.

  “Okay,” I relented, not wanting to fight. “But your Keepers need to wait outside.”

  Calliope nodded to Declan, and he backed out of the atrium with the rest of the Keepers.

  “If he’s staying, I’m staying,” Kai asserted, walking across the atrium and sidling next to Cameron with his arms folded.

  “I assumed as much.” I waited until the door closed and took a deep breath. “Marcus lied to me. Rymidon is the only kingdom being targeted. He hasn’t been in contact with any of the other kingdoms. Not even Oraelia has lost anyone.”

  “Wait a minute. What are you talking about?” Calliope asked. “Why would Marcus lie to you about that?”

  While tears wanted to fall, I held them back, letting my anger squash their release. “He has been on their side the whole time. Marcus has been working with the enemy: the elves. They are planning to create an army by using our blood to change them, as well as adding faeries—who changed to humans and couldn’t change back—to aid their cause. I don’t believe the faeries know what they are getting themselves into.”

  Calliope wasn’t grasping the truth. Her head shook, and her brow pinched. “Why would Marcus do something like this? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Marcus wanted every last one of my father’s followers, the ones who didn’t need to be under his Supremacy, to pay for the people he lost. The person he lost.”

  “Nerida,” Calliope breathed.