The Faerie Wand (Dark World: The Faerie Games Book 4)

by Michelle Madow

  Thomas turned to me. “Torrence,” he said. “How long do you estimate it should take a group of powerful witches to complete this task?”

  I froze. I had no idea how to “authenticate ancient mythological objects,” let alone how much time it would take.

  Everyone stared at me, waiting. I looked to the witch who’d glanced up at me before, hoping she’d give me a hint. A show of fingers, or something.

  She wouldn’t meet my eyes.

  Crap. I needed to make something up. Otherwise, King Devin could string us along for days, or even weeks.

  But he’d laugh in my face if I said something along the lines of “ten minutes,” or even an hour.

  “Six hours, maximum.” I straightened, forcing confidence into my tone. It was risky, but I didn’t want us to lose any more time than that. “Assuming your witches are competent, they can easily have the objects authenticated by sunset.”

  A muscle tightened in King Devin’s jaw. He looked at the closest witch on his right—a tall woman with long brown hair who looked like she could be a warrior princess, if she wasn’t locked in chains. “Can you have the objects authenticated by sunset?” he asked her.

  She bowed her head slightly. “Yes, Your Highness,” she said.

  “Wonderful.” He turned back to face us, a dangerous smile plastered on his face. “My guards will escort you to your suites. Take a nap, order room service, or do anything else you need. We’ll meet again at sunset.”

  45

  Torrence

  I didn’t think I was tired. But after so many days tossing and turning on the tiny twin bed in the yacht, the king-sized one in the suite with a white fluffy comforter looked so cozy that I couldn’t resist lying down.

  I fell asleep in minutes.

  Eventually, a guard—a vampire, since the sun was setting—knocked on the door to wake me up. There were no elaborate makeovers this time, like there’d been before we’d dined with the king during our first visit. The guard allowed me to quickly freshen up and then brought me to the penthouse.

  I walked past an elaborate fountain in the foyer to where King Devin, Thomas, and Sage waited in the living room. The delicious smell of fresh bread wafted through the room, coming from a platter of five bite-sized, buttery puff pastries on the coffee table.

  I wanted to fall to my knees in front of it and eat them all. But I knew better. So I stopped in the entrance of the living room and bowed my head to King Devin. He wore his golden jacket spun with Ariadne’s threads, which would protect him from any attacks. “Your Highness,” I said, cringing internally with each word.

  But protocol was protocol. If abiding by protocol meant getting to Selena faster, then I’d do it.

  “Torrence,” he said simply. “Welcome back.”

  I raised my eyes again and walked to stand next to Sage.

  Reed strolled in about ten seconds later. His dark hair was disheveled in different directions, but like a member of a boy band, he pulled off the bedhead look annoyingly perfectly.

  Like me, he followed the protocol of a respectful formal greeting. From his clenched fists, I could tell he despised every moment of it.

  I’d love him for it if I didn’t hate him.

  King Devin motioned to the platter of pastries. “Cheese filled arepas?” he offered. “They’re stuffed with queso de mano—one of Venezuela’s most delicious cheeses.”

  The pastries—arepas—tasted as buttery and flakey as they looked. And how could anyone ever go wrong with a gooey, cheesy center? They couldn’t, given how quickly we inhaled the food.

  No one spoke until we were all done eating.

  “My witches have verified that the objects you brought to me aren’t forgeries,” King Devin said, and a giant pressure released in my chest. Not because I was worried they were forgeries, but because I was worried he was going to finagle a way to delay this for longer. “Congratulations. I don’t imagine it was easy to acquire them and bring them to me so quickly.”

  “That’s an understatement,” I said, given that I’d bet my eternal soul on a deal with a sorceress to help ensure our success.

  Thomas cleared his throat. “Since bread has been broken, and time is of the essence—”

  “The faerie tokens,” King Devin interrupted. He walked over to a buffet table, took a brass key out of his pocket, and opened the top center drawer. He pulled out a brown sack tied with twine and carried it back over to us.

  I wanted to jump up and snatch it from his hands. But somehow, I controlled myself.

  King Devin focused on Reed. “Mage,” he said. “What’s your surname?”

  “Why does it matter?” Reed’s tone dripped with suspicion.

  “You’ll find out in a moment,” King Devin said. “But first, let me guess. It starts with an H?”

  Reed’s gaze sharpened. “Holloway,” he said.

  King Devin moved the sack slowly back and forth between his hands. “The faerie princess I used to know is named Ryanne,” he said. “The last time I saw her, she gifted me with four extra tokens that would bring its users to her country villa. In return—since the fae never do anything without asking for something in return—she asked that if four people ever came my way and asked me about how to get to the Otherworld, I’d hear them out. I agreed, although I asked why she wanted me to do this. She said that a friend gave the tokens to her. He asked that she give them to me, and said I’d know when to pass them on to the four people who needed them.”

  “I see,” Thomas said. “So you knew to give them to us because we succeeded in getting you the four objects you requested?”

  “No,” King Devin said, and then he opened the bag. “I knew because of this.” He took out the first token—a gold coin with the profile of a beautiful woman engraved on the front—and looked at the back. “S, M,” he said. “Sage Montgomery.” He tossed the token to her, and she caught it perfectly.

  She flipped it over, and her lips parted into an O.

  He pulled out the next token. “T, B,” he said. “Thomas Bettencourt.” He tossed the token to Thomas, and then pulled the next one out of the sack. “T, D,” he said, his eyes locked on mine. “Torrence Devereux.” He tossed the coin to me, and I caught it easily.

  It was warm—like it was alive. I turned it over, and sure enough, there were my initials inscribed with beautiful, detailed vines and flowers around them.

  “Finally,” King Devin said, taking the final token out of the sack. “R, H. Reed Holloway.” He tossed the coin to Reed, and then dropped the empty sack onto the coffee table.

  Reed studied the coin. “All right,” he said. “I see why you wanted to know my last name.”

  “The fae who gave these to Ryanne must have future sight, or know someone who does,” King Devin said. “These tokens were made for you.”

  Anger ignited in my chest, and I closed my fist around my token. “Let me get this straight,” I said. “You’ve had these tokens—with our initials—in there for who knows how many years. Your ex-girlfriend told you to hear out four people who came to you asking about the Otherworld, so obviously it’s important that we get there. You knew that Thomas, Sage, and I had initials that matched the tokens. You also knew that Reed’s first initial matched the other token.”

  “I did.” He nodded.

  “So why send us on that quest? Why not just ask Reed his last name so you could follow through on your promise to give the tokens to us?”

  “Because I wanted those four objects,” he said. “Over the years, I’ve sent some of the strongest vampires and shifters in the kingdom to fetch them. None of them returned.”

  “They’re probably pigs hanging out on Circe’s beach,” Sage said, sounding as enraged as I felt.

  “Or rotting away in Scylla’s or Charybdis’s stomach,” Thomas added. “Although technically, they’d all be in Charybdis’s stomach now.”

  King Devin tilted his head curiously. “What do you mean by that?” he asked.

  “Oh, it’s nothi
ng,” I said. “We just got Charybdis to eat Scylla. That’s all.”

  King Devin’s eyes widened in what appeared to be genuine shock. “How the hell did you manage that?” he asked, but then he wiped the surprised off his face, continuing before we could answer. “Never mind. That in itself proves my point. I’ve wanted these objects since getting my jacket spun with Ariadne’s thread decades ago. Everyone I’ve sent so far has failed. As the king of the Tower, it’s my responsibility to avoid dangerous situations that may result in my death, for the sake of my subjects. So I couldn’t go myself. Then, the four of you arrived at my doorstep. A witch more powerful than any in my kingdom, two vampire-shifter hybrids, and most importantly, a mage. If anyone could retrieve the objects, it would be the four of you. But what would stop you from simply keeping them for yourselves? A blood oath. I couldn’t have planned it more perfectly if I’d tried.”

  Sage’s fingers shifted into claws. “You conned us,” she said, and her irises swirled and glowed yellow—the way they looked when she was in her wolf form. “You knew these tokens were meant for us. Ryanne—someone you claim to have loved—made you promise to hear us out. Then you sent us into a situation that could have killed us.”

  “I saw an opportunity and used it to my advantage,” he said. “Can you blame me?”

  “Yes,” I said, at the same time as Thomas said, “No.”

  Thomas held his gaze steadily with mine. He’d moved closer to Sage and rested his hand on her arm. She took slow, steady breaths, and returned to her full human form.

  Reed, of course, was as emotionless as ever.

  Did he even have emotions? Or had he used so much dark magic that he’d tarnished his soul forever?

  Thomas brought his arm back to his side. “What’s done is done,” he said. “But these tokens were always meant for us. Now that we have them, you’ll tell us how to use them.”

  “That wasn’t part of our deal,” King Devin said.

  “Oh my God,” Sage exclaimed. Thomas reached for her arm again, but she ignored him. “We’re on the same side here. Both Avalon and the Tower want the demons gone. I don’t know what that fae saw that made him or her go out of their way to give these tokens to Ryanne, but whatever it was must have been important. If you ever loved Ryanne, then teach us how to use the tokens. Now.”

  I called on my magic, ready to fight if King Devin attacked.

  But King Devin just stared at Sage, and then nodded. “All right,” he said, and I relaxed slightly. “I’m starving, and I want the four of you out of my hair so I can feast on the lovely human woman waiting in my bedroom.” He made his way out of the living room, headed toward the foyer, and glanced back at us. “Stop standing there, and come with me. Because the way to the Otherworld is right here in my penthouse.”

  46

  Torrence

  King Devin stopped in the foyer, in front of the modern fountain. It was pressed against the wall, so it was more of a half fountain, with streams of water flowing out from the wall into the pool below.

  “Toss your tokens into the water, and then jump in,” he said. “This fountain’s only big enough for one of you to go in at a time. With bigger fountains, as many people can jump as can fit. But there has to be one token per person. If someone tries to follow without a token, or if you try to pull someone in who doesn’t have a token, you’ll be transported to the Otherworld and they’ll simply land in the water.”

  “That sounds simple enough,” Sage said.

  “It does,” Thomas said. “But first, we need our weapons back.”

  “Of course.” King Devin walked to the intercom on the wall and pressed its button. “Bring up our visitors’ weapons,” he instructed.

  Less than five minutes later, four vampire guards came up through the elevator and returned our weapons. Every single one of them.

  With my sword on my back and my knife at my side, I felt more ready than ever.

  “Anything else, Your Highness?” one of the guards in the middle asked.

  “That’ll be all,” he said. “You’re dismissed.”

  They bowed their heads in unison, stepped back into the elevator, and left.

  I looked at the crystal-clear water, and then back at King Devin. “You said the tokens will bring us to Ryanne’s country villa,” I said. “Is there anything we should know before arriving there?”

  “Firstly, don’t address her so informally,” he said. “She’s Princess Ryanne.”

  “Got it.” I nodded.

  Thomas reached inside his jacket pocket. “I notified the Earth Angel that we’re about to enter the Otherworld,” he said, and I realized what he’d reached for. His cell phone. He could send a text with a brush of his finger. “I told her about the tokens, and that this task is meant for us. She wished us the best of luck.”

  “Tell her thank you,” I said. “But before we go—have they freed Prince Jacen and Aunt Bella from the faerie dome yet?” It was hard to imagine Aunt Bella being trapped anywhere for long, but this wasn’t exactly a normal situation. At least they had food and water in there so they wouldn’t starve to death.

  “Not yet,” he said. “I don’t think we have strong enough magic to take it down. We’ll take care of it when we’re in the Otherworld.”

  He said it so confidently that I almost believed it would be easy.

  “Great.” Sage glanced at the fountain and brought her hands together. “So we’ll jump into the portal, go to the villa, and find Princess Ryanne. She should be willing to speak to us when she sees the tokens.”

  “Ryanne was always curious,” King Devin said. “She’ll definitely speak with you when she sees the tokens.” He paused, and his eyes turned serious. “One more thing,” he said.

  “Yes?” I asked.

  “Don’t fall in love with a fae. They’re tricksters—all of them. It’ll only end in heartbreak when they meet their soulmate.”

  Sage smirked at Thomas. “You hear that?” she joked. “Don’t go falling in love with any beautiful, seductive fae women while we’re there. If you do—”

  “As if any of them could outshine my mate,” he interrupted, smiling at her in that adoring way only reserved for Sage.

  I couldn’t help myself—I glanced at Reed.

  He held his token above the water, ready. “Are we doing this or what?” he asked.

  “Yes.” I tightened my grip around my token and stepped next to him. “We’re doing this.”

  “Hold on, you two,” Thomas said, and I looked to him, worried he might have changed his mind. “I’m the oldest in this group, and the leader of this mission. I’m going first.”

  Without waiting for a reply, he pushed past me and Reed and tossed his token into the fountain. Purple, sparkly mist floated out of the token and expanded like a bath bomb. The water was a stunning, endless galaxy of twinkling stars.

  “Here goes nothing,” he said, and then he stepped onto the edge of the fountain, jumped, and disappeared through the water.

  47

  Torrence

  Sage jumped in the portal right after Thomas.

  “You’re next,” Reed said, giving me a dead serious look that made it clear this wasn’t up for debate.

  As much as I hated being told what to do, it made sense. Reed’s magic was stronger than mine. He needed to be the last one to go, in case King Devin tried to pull anything on us.

  So I stepped up onto the ledge and tossed my token into the fountain. The water turned into the purple galaxy of stars, and without giving myself a second to rethink it, I jumped.

  My stomach dropped, like it did when I teleported. I closed my eyes, expecting my feet to hit the ground at any moment, but I was in free-fall. Wind rushed past my face and through my hair. I dared to open my eyes, and I gasped at the lines of white inside the purple mist. It reminded me of those science fiction movies where spaceships traveled at light speed.

  Did King Devin trick us? Will I be stuck in this in-between forever?

  Ju
st when I was thinking the worst, my feet hit the ground. My knees buckled under me. I fell onto them, using my hands to stop myself from landing flat on my face and rolling into the pond a foot in front of me.

  Streams of water came out of the center of the pond, like a fountain. And someone must have thrown a dead body into the water or something, because it stank.

  Feeling something round and hard under my right hand, I lifted it up. My token was beneath it. I picked it up and pocketed it.

  “Torrence!” someone screamed—Sage. “Behind you!”

  I spun around, reached for my knife, and stabbed the heart of a black-winged, white-eyed, snarling creature that was snapping its jaws at me.

  It stilled, its creepy eyes focused on mine. Then, it turned to ash.

  Just like a demon.

  Except demons didn’t have wings. And something about the creature, especially its chalky skin that sagged off its bones, looked sort of like…

  No, I thought. That’s not possible.

  I stared up ahead, where the trees cleared to make room for a hill. At the top of the hill was a large, Roman-style house.

  Princess Ryanne’s villa.

  The windows were boarded up, like the house was abandoned.

  But I’d have to worry about that later. Because more of the creatures were coming around the pond—maybe about thirty more, all varying distances away from us. They seemed to have trouble getting up the hill, but the land around the pond was flat, and they traversed it easily.

  Thomas and Sage were expertly fighting off a group of them, keeping the area where I’d portaled in clear so Reed could land safely. Judging by the piles of ashes nearby, they’d killed off quite a few before I’d arrived.