by Alexia Purdy
“What—?” I wondered out loud. “This place… what is it?”
“The underworld. We are the fae. We live where magic thrives. You truly have never been here?” Fealty held out a hand to me. I took it without any more apprehension. Instead of tugging me along, she reached out and scooped up Gideon’s totem, studying it so closely that I could feel her breath on my cheeks. I blushed but didn’t know why.
“Totems are part of the person they belong to.” She closed her eyes and squeezed it in her hand before letting it go. “The one it serves has a great love he adores. It holds his hopes and dreams, and I see your face in my mind’s eye. But I also see a great darkness looming close.” She smiled once more before taking my hands and clasping my fingers around it. “You hold more than just a totem in your hands.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You hold the heart of a fae,” Fealty stated, as though I should have known this. “Our hearts are made of crystal, and that is from where we draw our power. Holding the heart of a fae can either destroy you or save you.”
I inhaled sharply. Gideon was part fae. Did she mean he literally had a crystal heart? How could she know so much about Gideon and me? My heart thumped as I pressed my hand to my chest. I could almost smell Gideon’s scent emanating from the key. I’d never noticed that before. This place, this underworld, must have had an effect on people and objects, changing them in ways I couldn’t understand. I could almost swear it was doing the same to me, but I couldn’t say how.
“Can Jarvin really keep me here as his consort?” I asked.
She didn’t answer this question at all. Maybe she had been told not to. Before I could ask her again, she spoke out loud with her voice. I wondered if she’d done it to distract me or to throw me off.
“Come, you must have hunger. Jarvin will hunger as well.” She motioned for me to follow, walking as though slightly jumping from step to step. It was light and quick, as though she weighed nothing. I felt heavy and clumsy next to her. Crystals crunched beneath my feet with each step. I wondered if everything was made of crystal. What if the food was made of this as well? The thought made me apprehensive to touch anything.
I wondered what Jarvin wanted with me and if I’d ever escape. I prayed Gideon and Clyde were okay. The heat from Gideon’s totem gave me hope that he was all right.
Suddenly, I remembered the tracker key fob in my jacket pocket. I quietly slipped it out of its pocket and pressed my fingerprint to the screen to turn it on.
The screen flickered on, greeting me by name. I tapped it to change to the locator mode, praying I’d be able to see Clyde and Gideon’s trackers on the tiny screen. Before the tiny dots showed up on the radar, the key fob was snatched from my fingertips.
“Give it back!” I screeched, flinging myself toward Fealty. Without warning, another figure stepped between us. I slammed into his chest at full speed, and he spun me around, holding me at arm’s length.
“You won’t need that here, consort.” Jarvin turned toward Fealty. “Destroy it.”
“Yes, brother.” Fealty disappeared behind him as I struggled to loosen his grip on my arm.
“No! I need that! Give it back!” I begged. I felt my heart shattering into a million pieces as I watched Fealty hold it in front of her and send a tiny zap of what looked like electricity at it, shorting out the mechanism in an instant.
“No!” I wailed, crumbling to my knees. Without the fob, I wouldn’t be able to find Clyde or Gideon. “How could you?”
Jarvin, who pulled me up and proceeded to drag me toward a door in the wall of the cavern, didn’t say anything more, no matter how much I protested.
“Let me go! I need to find Gideon and Clyde!”
He stopped at the door and suddenly turned, letting me loose. I’d been pulling so hard to get away that I flew backward onto my rear.
Jarvin narrowed his inhuman eyes. “Did you say Gideon?”
Chapter Thirty-four
Star
I nodded. “Yes, I need to find Gideon and Clyde.”
He snorted, as though I’d said something insignificant. “The inutile is of no concern. How do you know Gideon?”
“He gave her his totem,” Fealty offered. She blinked my way as though she’d never destroyed my key fob. Gone was the fun-loving fae I’d thought her to be. In her place was a cold, young fae who had no remorse about hurting me. I hated them both with all my soul.
The Others were far trickier than I’d ever thought possible, and I was caught in the middle of a mess I didn’t understand. I scrambled to my feet from where I’d fallen.
“Do you know where I can find him?” I asked.
Jarvin focused his dark eyes on me, digging them into me like daggers. “Where is the faeling?” Jarvin asked.
Fealty cleared her throat. “It doesn’t matter where he is. If he was taken by the river, he is more than likely dead already. She has his totem. He is as good as dead when the Dark Ones find him.”
My stomach dropped. “Who are the Dark Ones?”
“The unmated fae males—the Dark Ones. More inutile, but they dwell in the outer caverns, closer to the human habitations. They are ruthless, self-proclaimed guards of the underworld.”
“They’re the ones who kill the trespassers, aren’t they?” I asked, knowing full well I was right.
“Yes. Have you met a Dark One before?”
I shook my head.
He scoffed. “I’m surprised you say that. They can disguise themselves as human males. You’ve probably met some already. They sneak out of the underground to find mates with human women. They rarely succeed though. They repel humans, but some are innately curious about them and tread too close, costing them their freedom, or in most cases, their lives. Serves them right.”
I stared at him, horrified at my predicament. Something told me that even if I ran, I wouldn’t be able to find my way out to save my life. My shoulders slumped. With Dark Ones roaming the tunnels, it would be suicide to attempt an escape.
“Why so forlorn, consort?” Jarvin asked.
“Don’t call me that. I’m not your consort,” I snapped.
His eyes darkened, if that was even possible. “We’ll see.”
He moved forward, reaching out to tug me along. He unlocked a door in the stone cavern wall, and it swung open to reveal a dwelling, like a house carved into the side of the larger cave. Once we were inside, Fealty locked the door behind us and headed off to what looked like a kitchen, where food steamed on a clay stove. She looked at ease, as though a prisoner wasn’t having dinner at her house.
“How far is the Glass Sky City from here?” I asked.
Jarvin motioned for me to sit in a chair at a table big enough for four people. I wondered if anyone else lived there. I slid into a chair as Jarvin took the one next to me. He studied me with his star-filled eyes, his face unreadable as we waited for the food. A whiff of delicious scents hit me then, causing my stomach to roll in hunger. My cheeks reddened.
“It’s too far to go alone,” he answered, not bothering to go into details. “Tell me, what is your name, consort?” Jarvin asked.
I moved my eyes to focus on him, glaring as hard as I could. Maybe I could glare him into oblivion. “I’m not your consort,” I snapped. “My name is Star.”
Fealty chose that moment to enter the room, placing bowls of hot stew in front of both of us. She left and returned with her own bowl, a basket of bread, and another of fruit. I looked at the meal, straining to resist taking a bite.
“You’re hungry. Eat.” Jarvin scooped a bit of soup into his mouth as he watched me.
I didn’t move but turned my eyes away from the food to my lap, wringing my hands. “Why don’t you have a fae woman as a consort? I’m sure it’d be a better match.”
“There are few fertile females. I believe humans have the same problem as we do. Something about the weapons they used which nearly destroyed the earth. They sterilized both our species. Most fae females are born without
the ability to reproduce. They are neither male nor female, such as Fealty, here. She has no reproductive organs or features.” He glanced at his sibling. Fealty continued eating as though being barren and of neither sex was no big deal to her.
I swallowed. No wonder they had resorted to stealing women from above. Both our species were endangered. It didn’t make any of this right. Kidnapping was still immoral. It didn’t matter which species did it.
They ate in silence, throwing glances my way. My food was still untouched. After several minutes, Jarvin slammed a fist on the table, rattling the dishes and startling me.
“Are you not happy with the meal, consort?”
“I don’t eat food from crazed faeries,” I muttered. I drilled my glare into him, watching his gray complexion flush with a crimson tint. His facial features were symmetrical, with a strong jawline, a straight nose, and broad eyebrows. His long, black, filament-like hair lay over his shoulders, where I could see his well-defined bicep muscles. The skin of his arms matched his face. He was a warrior of some sort, I assumed. Maybe someone important. He could be royalty for all I cared. I just wanted to get out of there.
“If you don’t eat, your life will be painfully long and uncomfortable,” he muttered, shoving some bread into his mouth.
“I’ll starve soon enough.”
“You humans are so stubborn. You have no idea how magic affects you. As long as you remain my consort, you will live as long as I do. The crystals extend our lives. We are practically immortal. You humans had no sense of future and never even thought to stake claim of the underground, thinking you had the better half of the deal aboveground. Up there, you die within a hundred years. Here, in the caverns, we live nearly forever. That includes any humans we keep down here with us.”
My heart sped up as I jumped out of my chair, sending it reeling backward in a crash. I ran to the door, trying in vain to turn the knob. It wouldn’t budge for anything.
“Let me out of here. Now!” I demanded. “I’m not your stupid consort, and I will not stay here with you forever.”
Jarvin and Fealty watched me calmly as they continued eating as though my outburst wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.
“Sit down, Star. You are not going anywhere for now.”
Shaking, I refused to return to the table. When he saw I wasn’t moving, he lifted a hand, moving the fallen chair back to where it’d been, and then forced me to take a step forward. Slowly, step by step, I returned to my seat, forced to do his bidding.
“Don’t do that again. Now eat, or your stay will become far more unpleasant.”
I wanted to cry. We’d gone down there to put prisoners into gauntlets and take them to the Glass Sky for our own use. How had the tables turned?
Sitting up straight, I decided I wouldn’t give Jarvin the satisfaction of watching me crumble. I reached out and grabbed one of the buns, ripping a piece off to dip into the soup. Shoving it in my mouth, I barely tasted it, though in a normal situation, it would have been amazing.
I was stuck there with no way out. It was like Farlan’s prison all over again.
Chapter Thirty-five
Star
Jarvin had gone to one of the rooms, but I didn’t ask why. I looked at Fealty, who was gathering dishes to take to the kitchen. Around her brother, she was quiet and withdrawn. I wondered if I could get any more information out of her while he was gone.
“Do you know how long it would take to reach the surface from here?”
Fealty rubbed her cheek again, a subconscious habit. At least she was speaking words aloud instead of feeding them into my head. It tickled to communicate telepathically, as though my brain itched, but I couldn’t scratch it.
“It would take your kind five days to reach the surface. It’s a long journey, far beyond the rivers of molten rock and limestone caverns.”
My stomach dropped.
“And the Glass Sky City? How long would it take to get there?” I asked.
“It’s four days’ journey uphill to reach it. Coming back is much faster.”
I perked up at this. Maybe my father would send a rescue team. I could only hope the Dark Ones didn’t get them first. I groaned, squeezing Gideon’s totem. I’d almost forgotten about the Dark Ones.
Panic surged within me, and I looked up as Fealty returned to wipe down the table, such a mundane task for someone who could control magic.
“Why don’t you use magic to clean?” I asked, still feeling morose.
“It takes energy to use magic. I like to use my hands, and it keeps me busy and out of the way. Epicenes, like me, without the ability to reproduce, serve the lords of the fae. We are of the lowest ranks in our society.”
“Oh,” I answered, feeling bad for her. In other words, she was a slave. I pitied her, but at least they didn’t kill their lower class. They could easily dispose of them. Instead, her fate was to serve the greater fae. How sad indeed.
Fealty again tilted her head to listen out for something before she resumed wiping the table. I wondered what she was listening for. Maybe Jarvin kept her on edge. She certainly looked tense when he was around. I was sure he would silence her if he reappeared.
“Fealty… please. I need to go back. I can’t let anything happen to Gideon or Clyde. I need to find them. How do I get out of here?”
Fealty was now next to me, cleaning the side of the table where I was sitting. She paused and reached out to touch my cheek, just as Jarvin had done to put me to sleep. I jerked away, scrambling to my feet, the chair rattling from my movements. She studied me wide-eyed, surprised at my reaction.
Jarvin returned at that moment and glared at Fealty. Spooked, she rushed off to the kitchen to finish her work. He flicked his eyes to me, and I held my breath, afraid to move. I was done with their faery charms and trickery. Fealty must have been wrong when she’d said my totem would keep me safe from such magic. I’d been helpless beneath their manipulations.
“You’re right,” he began, “you are not my consort.” He stepped forward, holding out a photograph. “Still, you are strikingly similar. Do you have a sibling? A sister?”
Furrowing my brow, I shook my head, confused. “Of course not. I’m an only child.”
His lips tightened, the edges turning down at my response. He continued to hold out the photo, and I reached out to take it. Looking down at it, I sucked in a breath.
It was me. But it wasn’t. The girl in the picture looked like my twin, but I saw subtle differences. Her lips were slightly fuller than mine, and her eyes were a brilliant green instead of hazel-brown like mine. We had the same auburn hair that leaned more toward the red side.
“Who is she?” I asked, looking up. The girl could almost be my clone.
“She’s my consort. Do you know her? She must be related to you.”
Again, I shook my head. “What’s her name?”
“Andromeda,” he answered.
Before I handed it back, I turned the picture over and gasped. On the back was some loopy, elegant writing. It looked exactly like my mother’s handwriting. I shook my head. It couldn’t be. I chalked it up to someone who might’ve had similar penmanship, but it was stunningly similar. But as I read it, the blood drained from my face.
“Andromeda Rickton. Sixteen years old. Is this some sort of trick?” I backed away. “You put my last name on it, didn’t you?”
He had the decency to look upset. Hurt filled his previously cold eyes as his jaw tensed. “I cannot lie. Fae are not able to say untrue things. She is my consort, and we were happy until she disappeared, many years ago. You must know where she is; she is your blood relation. That is why I mistook you for my consort. I merely believed you’d lost your memory of me.” He quickly wiped the despair from his face, replacing it with a mask of disdain.
“I don’t have a sister. I have no idea who she is or how she would be related to me.” My head ached; too much was happening too quickly. I wanted out of there. I wanted to find Gideon and Clyde more than anything in t
he world. My heart longed to know they were all right.
“There is one way to find out. But you have to give me your permission.” Jarvin stepped closer, taking the photograph from my still outstretched fingertips.
My eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“I need to search your memories, but I can’t enter them without your permission.”
I nodded. I doubted he would find anything, but it was worth a try.
“Wait. What else would you be able to see? Everything?” I had nothing to hide, but I valued my privacy.
“I will not disturb any memories that do not pertain to Andromeda. Please, let me look. You might have forgotten her.”
I sucked in a breath, afraid yet curious at what he was suggesting. I looked at him and nodded. “Will it hurt?”
“Only if you fight it.” He stepped closer, coming face to face with me. His eyes glowed from within, the star-like dots inside them glimmering in the fathoms-deep darkness. Everything about him was alluring, but I had fought his advances. I could feel something crawl over my skin as he closed the gap between us. I held my breath as he reached up with both hands, the photograph gone from his grasp. I briefly wondered where it had gone, but his fingers pressed to my temples as he closed his eyes tightly.
Glimpses flashed before my eyes, which grew wide with surprise. At first, a sharp pain made me cry out, nearly causing me to crumble to the floor.
“It’s all right, Star. Don’t fight it. Let go.”
His words floated about me, and I took in a deep breath, not realizing I’d been holding it. I relaxed my body, and my mind followed suit, opening up to Jarvin as he searched for something I couldn’t be sure of. The pain dissipated into a sweet, euphoric feeling, and I closed my eyes, melting into it.
I was with Jarvin, flying through my mind as flashes of my life appeared, like moving pictures. My parents smiling as they danced at one of the many ill-fated coupling balls where I’d spurned all my suitors. Clyde’s striking blue eyes as he kissed me. Megan’s laughter as we splashed in the pool of the waterfall room. Gideon’s face, full of longing, as he held me to his chest, breathing in my scent as though he couldn’t get enough. My heart swelled at these memories, and I sighed, happy for the first time in ages.
