Unseelie Court
.”
“The only person I trust, other than myself, is standing in front of me.” It pained her to say it out loud. Adora had never truly trusted anyone apart from her mother and, now, Randor. Even her father had proven he put his and the kingdom’s needs before that of his only offspring. He’d been doing that for decades.
“Princess.” He closed his hands around hers and brought them to his mouth, kissing the back of each. “You have me now. That’s all you’ll ever need.”
“I hope you’re right,” she almost whispered.
“You trust me one hundred per cent?” She nodded. “Good, because you’re not going to like what I’m about to suggest.”
****
To say she didn’t like what Randor suggested was an understatement. It went against everything she’d ever been told to go along with his plan. Randor planned to take Adora to the Unseelie queen with Kiel in tow as backup. The problem being that the elf could quite easily turn around and throw both Adora and Randor to the mercy of the queen and have them marked as traitors or, worse, murdered on the spot.
“I feel you haven’t thought this through entirely,” Adora said in a calm tone though her senses were buzzing, warning her of all the danger around her. “You can’t trust the elf.”
He flashed her a look of irritation. “The only one you have to trust is me, Adora. Can you do that?”
She swallowed past the lump in her throat and nodded. As much as she hated to admit it, she trusted him. Her half-human, Unseelie rogue assassin soul mate.
“Okay then. We need to be invisible and completely silent.” He brought up a barrier of magic around his body. “I’m going to open a portal that will lead us right into the Unseelie kingdom, to the throne room. You need to be prepared for anything that happens.” His tone was suddenly very stern and Adora felt invisible fingertips on her cheeks, followed by the softest, sweetest kiss she’d ever received in her life.
Randor’s invisibility disappeared for a moment and he looked her in the eye. His blue irises glistened with emotion as he stared at her. “If I tell you to run, you run. No matter what’s happening. I won’t have you hurt because of my mistake.”
“Only if you’ll do the same,” she whispered. “I have my ways of working around Maleficent’s magic and the queen’s arrogance.”
A smile appeared on his lips but didn’t reach his eyes. “I don’t doubt you do, Princess.”
Taking a step back, Randor used his magic to disappear from her sight again. With a deep breath, Adora called to her magic and did the same. She double-checked her scabbard for her sword and flexed her fingers. She was ready.
The air before them ripped as Randor opened the portal, and a stone and marble throne room appeared on the other side. Adora felt Randor’s hand grip hers and squeeze. Sucking in a deep breath, she squeezed his hand in return and followed his pull through the portal.
Chapter Six
Randor’s heart beat so hard he thought it might explode out of his chest. He’d been on thousands, probably millions, of missions for various people, including Adora’s own father, in his long lifetime, but none had been so dire. If his plan didn’t go exactly as he planned, he might end up losing Adora. And that just wasn’t an option.
Kiel was undoubtedly in the castle somewhere. Whenever he left the house they shared without a specific destination or agenda, he returned to the place he’d grown up. All Randor had to do was find him and explain things to his best friend. Well, explain most things.
While Kiel had never given him a reason to doubt his loyalties, Randor had never screwed up this badly. It was the worst mistake he’d ever made, bringing the Seelie princess to his home. But he wouldn’t ever regret that decision. In a few short hours, she’d managed to change something inside of him. He would do anything for her. Even betray his best friend’s trust.
Randor kept a constant hold of Adora’s hand as he opened the door to make sure the hallway was clear. He led her with him through the throne room to the main hallway of the castle. Sure enough, Kiel wandered down, talking with one of the royal guards. In his natural elvish form, he appeared fierce as he walked.
Stepping back into Adora, Randor turned his head and whispered, low enough so the elf and Fae wouldn’t hear them, “We need to make ourselves known. Are you ready?”
Without waiting for an answer, he pulled the magical cuffs he’d placed on her yesterday out of his pocket and placed them around her slender wrists. “They’re not charmed and you’ll be able to break the chain with a hard pull. Remember, if I tell you to run, run.”
“I will.” Her reply was soft yet steady.
He smiled quickly. She was definitely a warrior. “Okay.” He let go of her hand. “Now.”
The two of them removed their invisibility magic simultaneously. Seeing Kiel’s reaction to their sudden appearance, Randor grabbed the chain connecting Adora’s wrists roughly, pulling her with him as he approached.
“Well, well, speak of the devil,” Kiel spoke with a slight hiss. “What happened, Randor? You get tired of the princess already?”
Randor’s eyes narrowed at his friend and hostility rose, warming the blood in his veins. Kiel always appeared more harsh and cocky in front of kingdom staff. “She was trying to play me a fool.” He turned to glare at her, hoping it was convincing enough. “Nobody takes advantage of me. You know that.”
Kiel seemed to believe his words and let out a harsh laugh. Stepping closer, he assessed her, his eyes travelling up and down her body. “Her attire seems a little unsuitable, don’t you think, my friend?”
With a wave of his hand and a rush of magic, Randor made her combat gear disappear, replacing it with a short strapless dress made of light cotton. This time he included underwear.
Randor watched as Kiel’s hungry gaze roamed over Adora’s body. Kiel lifted his hand and grazed his fingertips down her bare arm, a sleazy smile spreading over his lips. A smile that Randor knew all too well.
Before he could react to his friend’s seedy advances, Adora did. Her arms swung up, catching his arm in the chain as she twisted and let her leg fly out, wiping Kiel’s out from under him. She stood over him as he lay on the floor, too stunned to speak, and glowered.
“You do not touch me without permission,” she growled before looking back up at Randor. “I may not be a member of your royal family, but I am a royal.”
Randor couldn’t hide the smirk on his lips. Nobody touched a royal without permission. To do so was a crime punishable by death. As an extended member of the Unseelie royal family, Kiel knew that, but his arrogance got the better of him.
Not wanting to blow his cover, Randor grabbed Adora roughly by the chains, securing one hand on the back of her neck.
“You’re a fool, Kiel,” Randor said and laughed as his friend stumbled to his feet. Had he been in human form, Kiel’s face would have been bright red with embarrassment and fury. “Now where is the queen? I need her witch’s help.”
Kiel narrowed his eyes and regarded his friend for a moment. “Why do you need Maleficent?”
“This one,” Randor nodded toward Adora, “is more powerful than we’d ever thought. Her magic rivals Maleficent’s. I need her to bind the princess’s powers before I lock her in the dungeon for the queen’s use.”
“Fair enough,” Kiel said with a shrug and stepped in line to walk with him. “I’ll show you to her quarters.”
****
Adora’s heart raced and her breath came in short, sharp movements that made her chest ache. The way Randor had grabbed her had been a little too convincing. As she walked with him and Kiel, she wondered if she’d made the wrong choice. Had she placed her trust in the wrong person?
Relax, Adora. Randor’s voice rang in her mind. It’s all for show. You were right to trust me, Princess.
The way he said “Princess” this time was as a term of endearment. His words calmed her and she tried to keep her fearful resolve. Inside she was colle
cted and alert, prepared to fight any second.
When the elf had touched her skin, she wanted to throw him on the ground and snap his neck before ripping his heart out. He was lucky she just threw him on the ground. The last person who touched her without permission was currently sitting on the bottom of the WaterLandsOcean as a dismembered corpse.
“What took you so long to bring her in, Randor?” The elf spoke to Randor like he was interrogating him.
Randor scoffed. “I was convinced we were soul mates”—he flashed a quick glance at her—“then I realised she was using her magic on me from the moment she woke in our holding area.”
“Which is why you need Maleficent,” Kiel stated, seeming dubious.
“I barely had to use any magic,” Adora laughed. “His mind is so weak it was like controlling a child.”
Randor backhanded her, just enough to sting. Though his face showed fury, his eyes showed remorse. When they got out of this, Adora would thank him for his show. She’d rather be manhandled by him than the elf.
“Why so defensive, Assassin? Do you not appreciate your masculinity being rivalled?”
“You will speak when spoken to, you piece of Seelie filth,” Kiel sneered as they reached the end of the long hall. He looked at Randor and opened the door. “Here we are.”
Adora had never seen the Unseelie queen before. She’d heard she was beautiful, but those rumours had been definitely exaggerated. With a crooked, pointed nose, thin lips that were pursed into a straight line and the big eyes of an owl. Nobody could call her beautiful. The wiry black hair piled on top of her head did nothing but accentuate the hard angles of her face.
“Kiel, darling,” she spoke in a soft, almost peaceful voice as she approached the elf. “I was wondering where you’d gotten to.” Her red gaze landed on Adora and Adora felt as though her eyes were burning. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
Randor let go of her and stepped forward, hands behind his back as he bowed quickly. “Your Majesty.”
“My dear assassin,” she walked in front of him and touched the side of his face gently. “What took you so long?”
“This…princess”—there was that sneer again—“tried to escape by using her magic on me.” His eyes almost glowed as he looked at her. “I request the services of Maleficent. Her magic needs to be bound before I can hand her over to the guards.”
“Oh?” The queen raised her brows and sat on a nearby lounge, holding a hand out as a servant brought her a drink.
Adora scoffed. The woman seemed exactly like Adora’s father. She couldn’t even manage to get a drink for herself.
“Shut your mouth,” the queen snapped at the sound of her scoff. “You think you can just waltz into my castle…”
Adora blocked out what she said next. Overcome with an overwhelming sense of power, she couldn’t concentrate. Someone was using an enormous amount of magic as they approached the room. It had to be the witch. She was coming.
Chapter Seven
All hell broke loose around Adora. Guards stormed the room, half guarding the queen, half aiming their weapons at her and Randor. He grabbed her and pulled her against his back before handing over her sword. Adora grabbed her sword, snapped her cuff chain, and called to her magic, forming a defensive barrier around the two of them. The shimmering black aura shifted around her as she moved into a defensive position.
A whirlwind entered the room and encapsulated Adora’s entire body, ripping her from Randor and shutting down her defences. Acting on instinct, she used her magic and counteracted the whirlwind until it stopped. Standing before her was a wiry woman with long black hair and emerald eyes that sparkled like the gem.
“So you’re the one causing all the trouble,” she commented with as much interest as most people would give a blade of grass. “You’re a mere child.”
“I am Lady Adora Belira, Princess of the
Seelie Court
, daughter of King Polara, and future ruler of the Water Lands,” she recited her entire title as she prepared to either fight or take the witch captive. “Either you step down and we take you into custody of the
Seelie Court
, or I’ll deal with you right now myself.”
A half smirk spread across the witch’s thin lips and Adora tensed her muscles, holding her magic to the surface as she prepared for the onslaught.
“You’re just like your father,” the witch sneered as a bolt of light shot from her fingers.
Ducking and rolling, Adora managed to avoid the bolt aimed for her chest and crouched, glaring at Maleficent. “I’m nothing like my father.” Maybe talking to her wouldn’t completely distract her, but it would make the witch think she had the upper hand. “I take after my mother.”
A circle of flames appeared and closed in on Adora. Concentrating her energy, she tried a trick her mother taught her.
“If you concentrate hard enough, you can feel the energy that controls the opposing magic. Pull on it. Bring it toward you and combine it with your magic.” She smiled momentarily at the memory. She’d managed to feed off her mother’s magic and knock down an entire wall with the flick of her finger.
Closing her eyes, she listened to the crackle of the flames, feeling for the underlying energy. Like water in the air, it was always there. She just had to look and feel really hard to find it. A tingling in her fingertips told Adora the magic was connecting with her. She focussed and pulled on the energy, almost sucking it into her body.
When she opened her eyes at the startling shriek Maleficent let out, she noticed the flames were almost gone.
It worked!she thought triumphantly.
“Foolish girl.” The witch laughed and took a threatening step toward her. “You think that will work? Your mother tried that. Moments before I killed her. She had the same proud expression on her face that you do now.”
Adora froze. The mention of her mother could have just been an effort to distract her. “You know nothing of my mother. Or her death.”
“Oh, but I do, child,” she said in a condescending tone.
“She died in battle, not at the hands of you.”
“Is that what you were told?” Maleficent laughed. “She was caught in battle. The soldiers brought her back here so I could study her. Try to steal her magic–if it were possible. Unfortunately, she kept fighting my magic so I had to kill her.”
Adora grimaced and clenched her jaw, watching as the witch inspected the staff she held in her hand
Adora hadn’t noticed the staff before. With two loud thumps to the ground, Maleficent looked at her and gave an evil grin.
“And I’m going to kill you just like I did her.”
Fury rose in Adora’s chest, warming her from the inside out. Magic tore through her veins like a bushfire, ready to destroy everything in its path.
Before she had a chance to attack, guards burst into the hallway followed by Kiel. The elf sneered at her before ordering his guards to attack. Wielding her sword, Adora spun in a circle, her trademark move, taking down two guards and slicing the head clean off another. Before the others attacked, she sped to Kiel and held her blade to his throat, sure to bring up her defensive barrier as well.
“I’ll spare your life if you tell me you didn’t betray Randor. You didn’t come straight here and tell the witch what we were up to.” Her tone was low and deadly. She didn’t want him to misconstrue her words for being soft.
The elf’s nose twitched and his thin lips pursed. “I didn’t tell her what you were up to. I went straight to the queen.”
Suddenly his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. A glowing blade appeared through his chest, pulling out as he dropped to the ground. Randor stood behind him, a true picture of mouthwatering masculinity. Covered in blood and sweat, his clothing was torn and his expression was fierce.
Adora gave him a look of empathy and turned just in time to see a massive ball of red energy flying at her. Reflexively, she stuck her arms up in front of her and formed a wall of magi
c, which absorbed the energy ball. With a sigh of relief, she felt the muscles in her body tingling with a strange sensation of power. A sensation she’d never experienced before.
Looking up to see an expression of disbelief on Maleficent’s face, she smiled an evil grin. She’d apparently just done the impossible—completely absorbed another witch’s magic and stored it as her own.
Disbelief quickly turned to rage as the witch brought her hands up, flames burning all around her, as electric energy clustered in her hands.
“Your mother could never do that.” Had it come from anyone else, Adora might have heard pride in the words. But from her, it was just a mockery. She was playing with her. “I’ll just have to see what your limits are.”
“You won’t get the chance to toy with me, witch,” Adora sneered.
Mustering as much strength, courage, and fearlessness as she could, Adora charged the witch. Her entire body buzzed and zapped audibly as balls of magic orbited her being. With her sword drawn, Adora flew into the woman, focussing as much magic as she could toward destroying her.
With an almighty crash, Adora hit the witch’s body, which felt like crashing through a rock wall. She pulled up her sword and stabbed her through the chest before Maleficent reacted to her hit.
“You…” The witch managed to gasp before her eyes rolled back in her head.
When she looked up, Adora realised she actually had gone through a rock wall.
“Nooo!” A scream came from the room they’d just been in.
The queen rushed in, angry tears streaming down her face as she looked at the mess they’d made. Rocks, dirt, and dust lay everywhere, coating the dead bodies of her guards, her nephew, and now her witch.
“What have you done?” she shrieked, her eyes frantically moving from Adora to Randor. “You killed them both,” she cried as she crouched by Kiel’s pasty body. Glaring up at Randor, she clenched her teeth, the muscles in her jaw visibly tensing. “I treated you like a son. I took you in after your mother died. I loved you more than my own blood and this is how you repay me?”
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