Then she rummaged through the furniture. There was a large chest of drawers, containing more clothes in various shades of green and brown. Utilitarian work clothes, if not for the strange fabric that made the tunics shimmer when she ran her fingers over them. What she didn’t find was anything that could be used as a weapon. No knives, no metal implements, nothing.
In fact, looking around again, there was a noticeable absence of metal items that she would have expected in the human world. No door hinges or window handles, no metal candlesticks. She remembered another tidbit from the old stories: faeries couldn’t tolerate iron because they were creatures of air and light.
Her breathing sped up—she was trapped like a rabbit in a snare. Her hands shook and her knees wobbled in response to despair bubbling up. She sat down on her bed and desperately fought to pull herself together. She forced herself to control her breathing—in, out—and just as she had calmed herself a little, the door opened.
Adi’s eyes widened, and her breath hitched. Holy moses. Two gorgeous men entered the room. Tall, muscled like MMA fighters, the ubiquitous fabric clinging to their broad shoulders. She still stared, mouth open, when one of them moved towards her. Adi quickly stood up, feeling at a disadvantage sitting down. She needn’t have bothered—even standing up, she was several inches smaller than them.
“Adi Gutseel, the queen of Faerie wants to see you.”
The man’s tone brooked no argument. Adi hesitated, searching the guard’s face for an emotion that would put her at ease. Empathy, friendliness, anything. His ice-blue eyes returned her scrutiny with practiced indifference. Staring at his face, Adi noticed hints that the man wasn’t human.
His ears were too pointed, his skin too translucent, his irises too luminescent. He tolerated her curiosity without flinching for long moments. Then he purred, “Are you quite done staring, little human?” and Adi’s knees went weak. Heat moved from her face to her crotch, and she trembled with the urge to touch him, to throw herself at him. His mouth twitched upwards before settling back into an expressionless line.
Adi shook her head. She knew consciously that he used some kind of glamor on her. Her brain barely responded to her distress, instead sending out signals of hot, sexy, yes please. She closed her eyes and focused as hard as she could, visualizing pulling herself out of molasses, sweet and sticky. The longer she concentrated, the easier it became, until she imagined moving easily through clear water. On a final deep inhale, she opened her eyes and returned his gaze.
“Well done,” he said, amusement in his voice. “That was quite a feat. I can see why the queen considers you a threat.” Then his voice turned cold. “Enough of the games. She’s waiting.”
Adi had no choice but to walk between the two men. At least I’m getting out of this room. New situation, new opportunities. She held on to the thought desperately as she was marched through a long corridor to where the queen waited.
21
Adi had been too busy avoiding stubbing her toes on the many steps and flagstones to pay attention to the long walk. Concentrating on where to put her naked feet kept her out of her head and stopped her from slipping into despair again.
The corridor, lined with pale gray stone, came to a sudden stop in front of a huge carved portal. A detailed depiction of a wolf’s head loomed above Adi. The entire surface of the door was covered in images of spirit animals. She recognized some of the outlandish creatures mixed in with more familiar ones—everything from hyenas to ducks to field mice.
As she stared in fascination at the white wood in front of her, the men lifted their right hands and murmured words in a language she didn’t recognize. A brief flash of blue made her head jerk towards the guards. Nothing else happened for a moment. Then the two wings of the portal slowly moved inwards.
Adi’s eyes had become accustomed to the gloom of the long hallway behind her, and she shielded her face instinctively. The man to her left grasped her arm, and she was pulled through the gate. Bright light streamed in through tall windows on the other side.
Temporarily blinded, she allowed herself to be marched forward before she thought of struggling against her captor. The tall faerie chuckled under his breath, then shook her like a doll.
“Behave. You’re about to meet our queen. Maybe she’ll show mercy to you if she finds you interesting.”
Hmmm. That was the second time somebody had hinted at the possibility of mercy. Adi grasped at the straw. Maybe, just maybe, her fate wasn’t sealed just yet. So she had to be interesting. Adi straightened up her shoulders, lifted her head and pressed her lips together. She could do interesting, she thought determinedly.
Thankfully, there were only a few servants milling around the periphery of the large hall, busying themselves with cleaning and tidying. Adi’s eyes swept around, taking in the massive space while looking for ways out. Not that she expected to be able to escape.
A slight man, dressed in a peacock-blue tunic much like the one Adi wore, cut across her path, carrying a tray. He was pretty in the faerie way that Adi was becoming familiar with. He looked like any other young human male, except that the pointy ears, light-colored eyes, and pale skin gave away his heritage.
He darted nimbly right in front of her while turning his head and staring at her face. His maneuver was so obviously planned to get a good look at her that she would have been amused, had his gaze not been so pitying. Her captor pushed her shoulder to signal her to keep walking. Her ears turned hot with a rise of temper. She was glad to feel something other than fear—it would keep her sharp rather than frightened.
In between two large pillars stood what had to be the queen’s throne, a seat carved from pale stone, massive yet elegant, adorned with bright red velvet pillows. It made sense—sitting on the bare stone wouldn’t be comfortable otherwise. Adi stopped at the dais of the throne and looked around. There was no sign of the queen or anybody else.
She turned and opened her mouth to ask, when sudden movement caught the corner of her eye. Her head swung back, and there in front of her, too close for comfort, stood the creature she’d been seeing in her nightmares for the last year.
“Hello, Adi,” she purred.
Adi’s eyes widened as the memories of their last encounter flooded her mind. Staring into the queen’s opaque eyes, she remembered the triumphant feeling when the rock in her hand had connected with the creature’s skull. And how scared she’d been when the body had disappeared without a trace. Adi had only learned later that she’d been fighting an immortal creature, the guardian of the spirit world.
Her eyes were drawn to the swirling white in the queen’s irises, like being sucked into a blizzard, a vortex of furious snowflakes. And then she felt again what she’d feared most of all. The lethargy in her limbs, her whole body screaming, moaning, to relent, to just let go, surrender to the queen. The oily intoxication that had nearly defeated her last time crawled from her tummy to her crotch.
She breathed faster, languid heat building up between her legs. Adi whimpered a little, head thrown back, barely able to stand up by herself. Her body craved the feeling, wanted to let go, as the throbbing increased in intensity. But she knew what would happen if she gave in. The queen had made it clear that surrender meant absorption of her conscious mind and total destruction. No way in hell.
This time, she was better prepared. She’d had a whole year of training with Honi, of practicing steeling her mind against psychic attacks. Unable to close her eyes, she relaxed her body and absorbed the onslaught of the faerie queen’s energy before allowing it to travel through her. The first conscious exhale broke the queen’s absolute power, and the intensity, the pressure, eased off. The second exhale allowed Adi to close her eyes. The third exhale pushed the energy back onto the creature in front of her.
Adi surrendered to the blackness her closed eyelids gifted her with. She was alone in her mind—there was nothing, nobody else. She’d done it. Adi smiled serenely and opened her eyes again. She was back in full control of h
er body, as if nothing had tried to wrest her autonomy from her. The queen stared back at her, one eyebrow raised. The gesture was so human, so unexpected, that Adi giggled.
“That was surprising,” the creature said after a long pause. “You were strong last time we met, but I see you’ve grown even stronger.”
“I’ve had a good teacher,” Adi replied before she could censor herself.
The queen regarded her steadily for a few moments before waving a hand, dismissing the two faerie warriors standing behind her. Then she turned, moving towards a balcony looking out over the landscaped garden Adi had seen from her bedroom. She had no choice but to follow behind.
They stood side by side, looking out at the forest. It stretched into the distance like midnight-blue velvet in the setting sun. There were no more visitors walking the paths cut amongst clipped hedges. A scent of roses and lilacs drifted up, and even though Adi wasn’t a great gardener, she knew that lilacs didn’t bloom in fall. Another indicator that she wasn’t in the human world anymore, she thought, fighting down yet another wave of anxiety.
Just when she couldn’t wait another second, the queen turned towards Adi. “I don’t remember my creation, nor a childhood. One moment, I wasn’t. The next, I was.” She turned back towards the garden, deep in thought.
“I believe I was created to fulfill one purpose and one purpose alone. I am the protector of the spirit world and the human realm. That is the reason for my existence.”
Her voice turned harder the longer she spoke. The hairs stood up on Adi’s neck, and she knew she wouldn’t like what came next.
“I have destroyed many threats in my lifetime. I’m immortal, so believe me when I say I have killed thousands of humans and destroyed equal numbers of faeries who thought they could challenge me for their own selfish purposes. I have no emotions.”
Well, that was a lie, Adi thought. If she didn’t have emotions, why was she explaining herself to Adi? And why did she sound angry? She kept her mouth shut and continued listening, even though it took some effort.
“The only reason you’re still alive is that I want your master. In a very short time, he’s managed to teach you to resist me. Even to escape from the spirit world. I want to find out how he did it, so I can prevent others from learning to fight me.”
Adi’s blood ran cold. She hadn’t expected that. Revenge, yes. Being used as bait for Honi? No way! She had to find out more.
“So what, once Honi’s here, you’ll let me go?”
The queen’s face cracked into a vicious grin. “Of course. What use would I have for you if I can turn your master into my puppet?”
Honi wasn’t her master. He wasn’t even her boyfriend anymore. Whatever emotions the queen was able to comprehend, love didn’t seem to be one of them. So far, the gamut ran from duty to revenge to ambition. Nothing like affection, love, or mercy. Maybe Adi could work with that.
“Okay, tell you what. I will give Honi to you in exchange for my life. I’ll have to get back to the human world first, though, so I can summon him to me.” Like he was a genie or something, she thought. Man, would he be pissed when she told him about this conversation.
The queen laughed, reminding Adi of frozen lakes breaking under the weight of foolish children. Chills ran down her back while she waited for the creature to speak.
“Honi will come here of his own accord. You will wait in my dungeon. Looking at your starving body will help him make up his mind.” Her eyes bored into Adi’s as her voice turned even colder.
“I haven’t decided yet whether to let you go back to your old life with your mind wiped, or have you thrown off a high cliff. You are a danger to the spirit world. Either way, you will be eliminated. Prepare yourself for a life where you drool into your pillow, an empty meat-bag for others to use and abuse. Or one where your mind is intact while you contemplate the ground jumping up and smashing your legs through your rib cage.”
The creature’s hand came around Adi’s neck and pulled her close before whispering in her ear. “You’re in my realm now, Adi Gutseel. There is no way out for you. Beg me for a quick death, and I may grant it to you. Cross me again, and you will regret it.”
22
Looking back, Adi had to laugh at herself. At what stage had she thought she’d have a chance against the faerie queen? Listening to the vicious voice whispering in her ear, panic had clouded her mind. She had no recollection of leaving the throne room and walking to the dungeon.
She barely remembered being pushed through a door into a stinking black space. She’d stumbled down two steps before crashing into the opposite wall. Her hands had come out in front of her, so at least she hadn’t bashed her nose. Some slimy substance from the stones clung to her skin, and no matter how much she wiped her hands on her tunic, they felt disgusting.
Her nose had gotten used to the stench after a while, although she’d retched and gagged for a long time. The miasma of stale urine and worse crept into her nostrils and the back of her throat. Mixed in was the putrid stink of unwashed bodies that once had lain on the straw mattress she squatted on.
The cell must have been in use only recently, and her mind shied away from the thought of what had happened to the wretches who had been imprisoned before her. No sound penetrated from the outside, and maybe that was a good thing.
At least she could close her eyes and pretend she was somewhere else. Somewhere warm and safe, sunshine glinting off water, a large hand grasping hers while Honi walked by her side.
She had no idea how long she’d dozed. At some stage she’d fallen over sideways. Several times, the door had opened, and somebody’d pushed in water. No food, though. Her stomach had stopped rumbling after a while, and she wasn’t hungry anymore.
She’d fasted before under Honi’s supervision, and she knew that the urge to eat abated after a few days. Judging by that, she’d been here at least three days already. There was no way of telling, though. The darkness was so absolute that her mind withdrew more and more. She didn’t bother opening her eyes to check if there really wasn’t any light, and fell back into an uneasy sleep.
Next time she woke, something poked her in the ribs. “Gerroff,” she mumbled, swatting weakly at the bastard who dared interrupt her lovely dream. The second she opened her eyes, she remembered where she was and froze, lying perfectly still.
Shit. She was starving in a cell. What was poking her? Her mind immediately went to rats. She’d been expecting them since she’d been shoved into the room. Last year, she’d been eaten alive in a spirit dream, and the memory had stayed with her.
She whimpered and pulled her hands up to cover her eyes. Another poke. That was no rat.
“Dammit, it stinks in here. You comfortable down there?”
She knew that voice. Florice. What the hell? She gave up her possum impression and sat up. Her head swam from the sudden movement, and she inhaled sharply. Hands held her shoulders steady until the dizziness passed.
“I would love to hug you, but you need a shower,” Florice continued close to her ear. No matter how pissed she was at him, hearing his voice made her tear up with relief. She hadn’t realized how touch-starved she’d become in this dank, pitch-black shithole. When Florice moved away, she grabbed onto his arms without thinking. Before she could think better of it, she begged in a rough voice, “Don’t go. Please don’t leave me here.”
“I won’t. I’ll get you out of here.”
Adi felt herself being pulled to her feet and a strong arm support her waist. She leaned heavily against Florice’s side while he manhandled her up the two steps and into the corridor. Her eyes couldn’t tolerate even the small amount of light bouncing off the slimy surface of the underground tunnel. Funny how she hadn’t noticed the damp and chill when she was first brought to the dungeon. Maybe her body had become so weakened by her ordeal that the cold seeping into her every cell was so much more noticeable.
Her feet were icy, and after several steps, she stumbled and lost her balance. Florice caugh
t her easily and, mumbling under his breath, picked her up bridal-style. Her head lolled against his shoulder, and his heartbeat sounded louder and louder in her foggy brain. Eventually she gave in to her body’s demands, and his steady gait lulled her into an exhausted sleep.
She had no idea how long he’d carried her. Her neck was stiff from leaning against his chest, and she suppressed a groan when she rubbed her sore neck muscles from the base of her skull to her shoulder. The world had stopped moving, and she didn’t feel cold any longer. Her fingers brushed past her nose, and the smell of her skin made her want to gag again.
Everything came rushing back. She’d been in the dungeon, surrounded by putrid despair. Now the sun hit her eyelids with the power of a sledgehammer. She turned her head to the side and felt damp softness under her cheek. Carefully, she opened one eye a little and looked straight at tiny little stars set on top of green stems. Moss. She was lying on a forest floor. Her breath escaped with a relieved huff. She honestly didn’t give a shit where she was, as long as it wasn’t in the castle.
A foot moved into her field of vision. Florice. He’d pulled her out of the hellhole she’d been imprisoned in. How? Why? He was the reason why she’d found herself there in the first place!
Her relief gave way to suspicion, then fear. Her eyes flew open wide, and she sat up quickly. Scooting back on her butt, her first instinct was to get away from the man—faerie—who’d abducted her. Florice knelt down next to her and stretched out his hand in a calming gesture.
“Hey, Adi, it’s okay,” he said soothingly. “I’m here to help you get back to your world.”
Adi scowled at him. “Why would you do that? I thought you said that you’d been ordered by the queen to take me to Faerie. Why would you go against her orders now?”
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