Curse of the Fae King

by Delia E Castel

  When she filled the tub three-quarters to the brim, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a wooden box.

  I furrowed my brows. “What’s that?”

  She emptied it into the bath, and it turned the water pink. Then she faced me, her lips turned down. “Bath scents, My Lady. I will help you to disrobe.”

  “It’s all right.” I stepped away, cheeks warming. Maybe she’d been ordered not to make conversation with captives. All that would change as soon as I was in charge. I took off my cloak, blouse, and skirt, making sure not to disturb the salt in their pockets. Then I placed them on the dresser and stood in my petticoat. “And I prefer to bathe in private.”

  Coleen bowed and scurried through the door, while I divested my iron jewelry. It was ironic that my first private bath would be in the stronghold of the Queen of the Faeries. Since Father had lost his youth and vigor, we could no longer afford luxuries such as the bath-house, and even the likes of Shona never got to bathe on her own.

  Fragrant, cinnamon-and-rose-scented steam wafted into my nostrils, and I sighed. I needed this brief respite, this short spate of luxury, to prepare me for the terrors ahead.

  Once I’d removed the last of my clothing, I stepped in the steaming tub. Its muscle-meltingly warm water invited me to relax into its depths, and I slid onto my back, resting my head on the rim. Subtle waves lapped at my skin, divesting me of aches and fatigue. It had to be enchanted because all the dirt dissolved, including the soil encrusted along my cuticles.

  I didn’t realize how tense I’d been until the ache in my muscles vanished. Clumps of ratty, blood-encrusted hair floated beside me, leaching out dirt. I submerged myself in the warm water and contemplated Drayce’s plan for me to overthrow the queen.

  With Father being held hostage and with the smallest arsenal of salt and iron weapons, I was almost as helpless as one of the human servants. But he seemed to think it was possible. We hadn’t had much time to discuss whether we would break the curses on the kings before attacking Queen Melusina, but that approach made sense, as we needed strong allies. Since he needed me to go home, he had probably worked out the finer details.

  My mind drifted to those four cursed Princes, each one of them inhumanly beautiful. The Summer Court Prince with sun-ripened, mahogany skin, and the pale, blue-haired Winter Court Prince. The golden hair of the Autumn Court Prince, and the beautiful, almond-shaped eyes of the Spring Court Prince.

  Would they all agree to become my consorts, and put the daughter of the creature who had cursed them on the throne? Drayce had said each mating would bestow me with powers, but would that push out my humanity? The sight of human servants no longer shocked me, even though I wanted to set them free.

  And Drayce. Once I’d taken the faerie throne and opened the way to the Otherworld, would I see him again? He couldn’t stay in the world of the living where his powers were diminished. Not with a Kingdom of his own that needed his leadership. The thought of never seeing him again made my heart ache.

  The water cooled, as though my melancholy had dimmed its enchantment. I stepped out of the tub and stared at the unfamiliar leather garments on the dresser. My baldric was gone, along with the iron weapons!

  Cold horror weighted my stomach. Those had been my last means of protection. After wrapping myself in a linen towel, I shoved open the door and glowered at Coleen, who stood on tiptoes, dusting an empty, golden frame.

  “Where are my things?”

  Her eyes widened. “Your clothes were dirty, so I sent them for cleaning.”

  Clenching my fists, I squeezed my eyes shut. Salt had lined every pocket of my skirts. I was now defenseless against venoms, intoxicants, and a whole manner of faerie trickery I couldn’t even predict. My breath came in quick, angry bursts, and my teeth ground together. I had to stay calm and remember that like Father, Coleen was a captive and trying to do her best.

  “They’ll be back tomorrow morning,” she added. “Was the armor not to your liking?”

  “What?” I should have told her not to touch my clothes. “Where are my jewelry and weapons?”

  She bowed her head and curled her shoulders as if trying to make herself smaller. Hiding her expression behind a curtain of blonde hair, she murmured, “Iron is forbidden, My Lady.”

  “What did you do with them?” The words came out sharper than I’d planned.

  Her head snapped up. “I-I can get everything back!”

  “Do it,” I said through clenched teeth, “and don’t tell a soul.”

  With a quick nod, she scurried out of the room.

  I exhaled my frustration and pulled on the leather clothing. After the kiss and the way his magic had guarded the room, most of me trusted Drayce, but deep in my core, I relied on nobody. There was a part of myself that clung to memories of neighbors heaped on blood-soaked earth, and of Father emerging from the rubble a withered, walking husk. The iron I’d brought here had been as vital as air, as precious as healing herbs, and now we were parted.

  The door swung open. Drayce stepped in, leaned against the wall and grinned. “Coleen said you would be decent.” His gaze roved down my form. “I have to say that this outfit brings out the warrior in you.”

  My cheeks burned, and I pulled the ends of my cloak together. “Breeches on a woman are obscene.”

  “But beautifully so,” he purred.

  I couldn’t make eye contact with him when he stared like I was some kind of tavern wench, parading myself for his entertainment. “Isn’t there such a thing as a war skirt?”

  He grinned and pulled out a sword belt from behind his back. On its scabbards rested my iron sword and dagger. “Coleen kindly arranged your iron weapons into a much better receptacle.”

  A gasp slipped from my throat, and my heart swelled with a giddy mix of hope and relief. I rushed toward him. “Thank you!”

  “Allow me.” He held it out of reach and chuckled. It was a rumbling noise that sent a tingle between my legs.

  Drayce looped the belt around my waist and buckled it at my back, so both weapons hung at my hips. We stood chest to chest, the heat of his body radiating onto mine, quickening my breath and making my heart flutter.

  When the belt was secure, he rested one large palm on the small of my back and sighed. “Dressed like that, you look like the Goddess Dana.”

  My lips trembled. “How so?”

  “Some say she was the progenitor of all beings, the mother of the gods themselves.” The other hand caressed my cheek, and his fingers slid through my hair. “Artists depict her with locks that flowed like molten iron, eyes as blue as the twilight sky, and with a cloak as green as the hills.” His hands rested on my hips.

  Stimulating sparks skittered down my spine. Stiffening, I suppressed a shudder of arousal, but couldn’t stop my speeding heart. “What happened to her?”

  “She slumbers and dreams and has become one with the earth. The only beings who held a semblance of her power were the druids, who are all but one extinct.”

  “Father,” I said in a breathy gasp.

  His slitted eyes lingered on my mouth. “And when Dana awakens, she will make this world anew.”

  A warm breath puffed from between my lips. If he kissed me now, there would be no salt to break his allure, no night fowl to drive him away. Even though he had tricked me in an unfair agreement, we had bargained for my maidenhead. The heat of his iridescent, green eyes and the way he pressed his body against mine told me it was only a matter of time before it would be his.

  I rested my palm on his hard chest. His heart thrummed through his thick armor, beating in time with the pulse throbbing between my thighs. My other hand joined the first, although I couldn’t know if I was feeling his pectoral muscles or pushing him away.

  My tongue darted out to lick my lips. “Drayce, I…”

  He bent closer, so his mouth was inches away from mine. Our breath mingled, hard and urgent and full of anticipation. My heart spasmed. He would kiss me, and we would end up in his leather, four-p
oster bed. I closed my eyes, parted my lips, and waited for the pressure of his kiss.

  Nothing happened.

  I cracked open an eye. He still hadn’t moved any closer. Frustration flared through my innards. Was this a test to see if I would kiss him first? Did it matter? I slid one hand over his broad shoulder, over the high collar of his armor, and threaded my fingers through his silky, indigo-black hair.

  The corners of his lips curled, and one of his hands snaked up to my waist, bringing our bodies even closer. His arousal pressed against my belly, hot and hard and encased in leather. My hand slid down his chest, down a tight abdomen toward my prize.

  Two sharp knocks on the door made me flinch out of his embrace.

  The door cracked open, and General Creach’s voice drifted inside. “Her Majesty demands that I accompany you on this part of the mission.”

  Blood drained from my face, and all traces of arousal evaporated, leaving behind a roiling panic. I clapped a hand over my mouth, muffling a cry of alarm.

  King Drayce stepped away, a growl on his lips. He stalked to the door and flung it open. “Does Her Majesty know how you threatened Neara last night?”

  I sucked in a breath. Even if she was a monster, she still needed me well enough to retrieve her items.

  General Creach’s lip curled back. “Queen Melusina assigned me to the duty of ensuring there were no more suspicious deaths. She has even offered me an appropriate reward should the mission succeed.”

  My last vestiges of hope drained away, along with all the blood on my face. The way his gaze lingered on me told me exactly what Queen Melusina had promised the general. Our dangerous treasure hunt and plot to usurp a monstrous Queen now included a deranged and powerful faerie who wanted me dead or debauched.

  Chapter 15

  Drayce kicked the door shut, muffling the general’s protest. He strode across the room, pressed his forehead on mine, and murmured, “He and his soldiers will have to keep up with Enbarr. I won’t give Creach the chance to hurt you.”

  When he drew back, I stared into his eyes. Smoky, black flecks clouded their iridescent, green light, and his pupils narrowed into thin, vertical slits. There was a hardness to them that spoke of his determination.

  I placed a hand on his arm. “How did you do it?”

  “What?”

  “Survived here for years, with your Father’s murderer and the Otherworld betrayers who sided with her?”

  His gaze dropped, head bowing a fraction. “I was too young and too unskilled to fight back when my father’s powers transferred to me, but my shadows kept me alive.”

  I placed a hand on his cheek, resting my fingers on his warm, smooth scales. He closed his eyes and melted into my touch. Beneath the monstrous appearance was a being not unlike me. His suffering had been worse than mine. Until I was cursed with the sight on that Samhain, life had been good. But even through the horror of seeing faeries, I still had Father and a few allies.

  Pushing my shoulders back, I sucked in a deep breath. It was time to be the woman he had hoped would save him and the world from the wickedness of Queen Melusina.

  “I won’t let him hurt you, either.” I rested my hand on the hilt of my iron dagger. “Let’s find the Sword of Tethra.”

  General Creach stood in the hallway outside our room, flanked by Captain Stipe and a wiry Captain with hair the color of seaweed, who introduced himself as Corpan of the Court of Midnight. I gave him an acknowledging nod and strode alongside Drayce toward the stables.

  “I missed you last night.” The general slithered by my side. “When we camp this evening, perhaps—”

  Drayce shoved him hard against the slate wall, causing his teal hair to fall over his face. One of his silver earrings clinked to the ground. “Talk to Neara, and I will give you the most grisly of deaths.”

  Bearing his teeth, General Creach shoved back with equal force. I clutched at my chest, forcing ragged breaths in and out of my lungs.

  The male was as tall and broad as Drayce. His cruel, pointed features twisted into a mask of disgust. “With what power, Princeling?”

  “You forget yourself.” Drayce raised a clenched fist, and the general’s obsidian eyes widened. “I may be far from the Otherworld, I may not have my throne, but I still have dominion over all my rightful subjects!”

  Quicksilver veins protruded from the general’s forehead, branching out into a network of smaller vessels. Sweat beaded on his brow, sticking his teal hair to his face. Eyes bulging, he shuddered and forced out choked breaths.

  “Your Majesty.” Captain Corpan wrung his hands. “Please, release the general. He did not mean any harm.”

  I clenched my teeth, not contradicting him. Drayce already knew what had happened last night, and I wouldn’t turn the captain’s ire on myself by interfering in a fight Drayce was already winning. A satisfied thrum reverberated in my chest. Ever since Father had aged, I’d had to protect us both, along with any innocents whose lives had been threatened by faeries. Being defended by Drayce’s power made my heart swell.

  The general’s eyes rolled to the back of his head, and his long, spidery fingers scratched at his throat, as though fighting off an invisible strangler.

  “Enough.” Captain Stipe held his blade at Drayce’s throat.

  I drew my iron sword. “If that blade so much as touches him, I’ll ram this through your belly.”

  Stipe lowered his sword and curled his lip. “You brought her into the palace with iron?”

  Drayce’s lips curved into a lazy smile. “A gentleman would never divest a lady of her means of protection.”

  I bit down on my lower lip to hide a smile. The next time Captain Stipe attempted to murder me, he would feel the burn of iron before he died in agony.

  Drayce opened his fist, and General Creach fell on the ground, coughing and panting. Then he turned to me and crooked his arm. “I think these people have delayed us enough. Let’s find the Sword of Tethra.”

  With a smirk, I slid my arm through his and walked down the hallway, chin raised, iron sword held in my free hand in case one of the soldiers struck. General Creach and the others kept their distance as we strode through the palace. Once again, the hallways didn’t shift or lead us around like a labyrinth. We descended one flight of stairs and opened the door into the stable yard.

  A thick covering of clouds filled the sky. Wherever they thinned, white streaks of sun shone down, providing dull light. Since the mist had drifted to the heavens, it was easier to appreciate the dense, green forest stretching out from the foot of the mountain. Birdsong filled the air, mingled with the soft nickering and snorting of horses from the stables to our right.

  The same human groom from days before rushed toward the stable. “I-I will get your steed!”

  He flung open the stall door and jumped back. Enbarr trotted out with his nasal bone in the air, mane flowing like wisps of silken thread. He seemed in a much better mood than the last time he’d been released from his stall. We mounted and set off without waiting for the soldiers.

  Enbarr’s bony wings sliced through the air, propelling us over the emerald-green forest. Wind blew through my hair and into my eyes. Although my breaches allowed me to sit astride the mount, I sat side-saddle in front, snuggling into the warmth of Drayce’s chest, wrapping both arms around his middle. “Where are we going?”

  “The Diamount,” he said over the roar of the wind. It’s where the Sword of Tethra resides. No magic or force can claim it except the one blessed with the Blood of Dana.”

  “So, either of us?”

  He shook his head. “Ecne’s Pool gave it to you. Passing or gifting the blood to someone else does not transfer the ability to wield the sword.”

  Someone behind us shouted, and I peered over his shoulder. A pair of soldiers on capall launched themselves off the mountainside. The winged horses swooped through the air, propelled by their majestic wings.

  I chewed the inside of my lip. “They’re gaining on us. Why isn’t Enbarr
flying as fast today?”

  Drayce’s chest rumbled with laughter. “That’s because he’s helping me lead them into a trap.”

  “I hope General Creach is the first to get snared.”

  “He will pay for threatening you.”

  “Won’t the queen retaliate?”

  He smirked. “Not if I make it look like an unfortunate accident.”

  I snorted. Those were the same words Captain Stipe used when threatening my life in the clearing. Now that I knew what was at stake, and that they feared the queen’s release of the Fomorians, I couldn’t help but wonder why none of them had the foresight to work with any of the previous daughters and put them on the throne.

  When I asked Drayce, he replied, “From what I understand, the girls had been brought up in the palace as Princesses. Weak and spoiled and lacking in initiative. Ailill had not been able to perfect his escape until you were born.”

  “Right.”

  That implied Father had tried to escape multiple times. Perhaps it had taken him a thousand years to find an ally willing to defy Queen Melusina. I tried not to think about it. If I dethroned her, I would free Father and present him with her head. Father had given me the most unconventional upbringing, insisting that I learn swordplay, fae lore, and religious scriptures. Perhaps he had meant for me to return and overthrow the queen but changed his mind when he had lost his vigor on that Samhain night?

  I shook away my speculations and gazed up at Drayce. Underneath the covering of scales was a perfectly human structure of high cheekbones and a strong jaw. Now that I was used to his appearance, I could discern that beneath the scales lay pleasantly proportioned features. “What does the Sword of Tethra do?”

  “From what I gleaned from Ecne’s Pool, it slashes open gateways when dipped in the Blood of Dana.”

  He talked about the importance of blood in performing powerful magic, explaining that the ritual used to banish the Fomorians had required willing blood sacrifices. It was a combination of what he’d told me before and what I had gleaned from the leather book.