by Paige, Bea
“How will that break the curse?” I ask, shaking my head in disbelief.
“It won’t. You see, the moment he began to sacrifice our people, the forest started to get sick. Murdering his own people is killing the forest. The fae king has caused this sickness, but no amount of persuasion will convince him that what he is doing is wrong. To truly understand what is happening and to find a cure, Clover must become fae. She is our only hope.”
“And what of the prophecy?” Ezra asks.
“The prophecy, Clover, the curse, this sickness, it is all tangled up together. When Nostra came to us, many people believed what he said. But the fae king refused to believe him. A division formed between the king and his loyal followers and those who believed Nostra. The king has been looking for the great tree for some time. Thank the blessed Mother, Nostra’s magic is as powerful as it is. The king has never been able to find it.”
Ezra leans back in his chair, swiping a hand through his hair. “This is indeed quite a problem you have.”
“Yes, and it is why I sent Avery, Jael and Eldon to Clover. Myself and a few others used our magic to spell them into saplings. It was the only way they could leave the Forbidden forest, find the missing daughter of Clan Terra and bring her back. But you are not here to listen to our worries. You are here to rescue your friends and I am going to help you do that.”
“How?” I ask.
“You entered through a door to our realm. On it was a flower. What was it?” Solomon asks.
“A rose.”
Solomon smiles. “Of course, that makes perfect sense.”
“It does?” Ezra asks, looking puzzled.
“Yes.” Solomon stands and walks to a low cabinet on the other side of the room. He opens a draw and pulls out a silver box, bringing it back to the desk with him. He slides open the lid. Inside are some wooden instruments and little pots of ink.
“What’s this for?”
“This is the key to getting you out. Do you trust me, Accacia?”
I look from Ezra to Solomon, then to the silver box on the table. “Clover sent us to you, she trusts you and I trust her.”
“Good, take off your cloak,” Solomon says, picking up a decidedly pointy looking implement.
Chapter Fourteen
Ezra, Solomon and I stand on the edge of the city square. In a few minutes Rhain and Devin will be brought to the bandstand and their sentence announced. I feel a rising sickness curdling my stomach.
“Are you sure this plan will work?” I ask. Around us there are hundreds of fae people, all waiting to hear what the king has decided.
“I am certain it will prove enough of a distraction so that you can escape.”
“I hope so,” Ezra says, noticing the increasing crowd.
“You remember my instructions on how to open the door back to the surface?”
I nod. My skin is still stinging from the rose tattoo carved onto my upper arm. Solomon explained earlier that the door we must leave by will only reveal itself once I am marked with the tattoo. It is a key of sorts, and will open the same door to the surface that we entered by. Now, at the very least, I have a permanent reminder of my time here in the Forbidden forest. Of course, it will only serve as a reminder if we manage to escape. I push that thought down. Failure is not an option, there is too much at stake.
“Here they come,” Ezra says, and like the rest of the fae we watch as they are brought into the square.
Rhain and Devin walk calmly between two fae men and my heart squeezes at the sight. Their eyes are glazed, their hands bound in front of them. I instinctively grab Ezra’s hand.
“They are still under the king’s spell. You will need to break it, otherwise they will be going nowhere,” Solomon whispers urgently.
“How?” I reply.
Solomon doesn’t appear to hear me.
“How will I break the spell, Solomon?” I repeat, but the pounding of drums begins, and my question is lost beneath the ruckus. We watch as Rhain and Devin are brought to the bandstand. Around us the fae cheer as a man, who can only be the fae king, walks up onto the stage. He is younger than I had expected, several years younger than Solomon. Although none of the fae look anywhere near their one thousand years. Solomon looks no more than seventy at a push, the fae king around fifty. Unlike the vampires, they appear to age, just incredibly slowly. The fae king raises his hand and the drumming stops, as do the cheers. A silence descends as he steps forward, his crown of gold and silver flowers glinting in the light.
“People of Clan Terra, my fellow fae, I look upon you all. Mother Nature blesses you,” he says, throwing his arms open wide.
“As Mother Nature blesses you in return,” the crowd respond.
The fae king circles around Rhain and Devin, who do not appear to notice him at all. “These men of Clan Lux entered the Forbidden forest. They are trespassers and as such must pay the price. Mother Nature will be appeased, and we will be one step closer to breaking the curse.” He waves his hand. A bright flash of green light, flecked with black lightning, sparks in the air as a great rumbling shakes the ground beneath our feet. The fae in the crowd begin to chant words that I do not understand as a large crack begins to open in the ground. They seem completely unconcerned by what is occurring. Solomon turns to face me.
“The time is now,” he says, pulling back the hood to his robe. “You have but a few minutes to get out of here. I wish you well.” He pats Ezra on the back and shakes my hand. “Make haste,” he urges. I am caught for a moment by the bee tattoo on his face. It seems to light up from beneath his skin.
“Go,” he says, and this time we don’t hesitate.
Ezra and I move forward through the crowd just as a loud buzzing fills the air. It is so loud that it drowns out the sound of the fae chanting. I look at the back of the crowd to see a huge cloud of bees moving towards us. There must be thousands of them, more. My eyes stray to Solomon, the tattoo on his cheek is pulsing in the light. I watch as the bees swarm around him, his fae magic allowing him to control the insects he loves. To have such magic is a rare gift amongst the fae and the only reason he was not sacrificed alongside his wife and son.
Ezra pulls me through the crowd as the people begin to scatter. The bees move with purpose, some of the fae are being stung, but not one flies towards Ezra or me. It is chaos. The ground stops moving now the chanting has ceased. I look up at the king, who is staring at Solomon, his face filled with rage. He shouts something above the din to the fae men who brought Rhain and Devin into the square and together they run towards Solomon.
“Now,” Ezra says, and we both sprint up to the platform. Ezra pulls his small silver knife out and cuts the vines from their wrists. “Come brothers, we have no time,” he says, shaking Rhain, then Devin’s shoulder. They remain standing where they are. “Why aren’t they moving?”
“Solomon said they were under a fae spell, that I must break it. But he didn’t say how. What do I do, Ezra?”
“I don’t know, but you better think of something quick,” Ezra says, pointing towards the fae king who seems to be conjuring magic of his own. A man steps up onto the platform behind us and raises his hand. Ezra ducks as a bolt of green light flies towards him, then he leaps in the air, tackling the man to the ground.
I look at Rhain, then at Devin, the pounding of my heart loud in my ears. What do I do? If I don’t snap them out of this spell, we will all perish here today. In the commotion, Ezra has dropped his knife. I lean down to pick it up, an idea forming. Grabbing Devin’s hand, I cut into his palm, then slide the knife across my own skin, remembering to repeat the chant required for the Binding to work.
Blood of mine,
blood of yours,
combine as one.
From this day forth,
until it is done,
this piece of my soul I give to thee
willingly,
in exchange for your own.
Blood of mine,
blood of yours,
we b
ind as one.
I stand back, trying not to listen to the sounds of Ezra fighting behind me. I shake Devin’s shoulders, leaving trails of blood on his clothing.
Devin, WAKE UP, I scream silently, hoping he can hear me. Devin, damn it, WAKE UP.
Hey, no need to shout so loudly. I can hear you. Devin’s head snaps up, his dark eyes focussing on me. “It’s about time,” he says, shaking his head.
I throw myself into his arms. “Thank goodness you’re okay.” For a split second, whilst the chaos ensues around us, I allow myself a moment to relish the feel of him in my arms. Time slows, the noise lessens, my heart beats faster. “Devin,” I whisper.
I’m okay, Accacia. We’re okay.
The moment is gone as Devin whirls with me in his arms just as bright green sparks of magic whizz by our heads. “There’s no time. I need to help Ezra, and you need to wake Rhain up,” he says, letting me go. I nod my head, raising the knife. He pulls on my wrist. “That won’t work on Rhain.”
“Why? It worked for you.”
“You’ve undergone the Claiming. Your bodies are connected in a different way. Kiss him, Lights damn it, and wake Sleeping Beauty up,” he says, before rushing to help Ezra fight off more fae.
Rhain is staring off into space, the indigo-blue of his beautiful eyes glazed and unseeing. I step up to him and, whilst all hell breaks loose around us, whilst the bees swarm around the fae people, whilst the king and his henchmen try to stop Solomon, I kiss him fiercely. The result is instant, urgent. His eyes snap open, just like Devin’s had.
“Cia, Cia,” he says into my parted lips. He reaches up, cupping my face in his hands, and kisses me deeply. I pull away, breathless.
“There’s no time. We must leave,” I say quickly. The rose tattoo on my arm is burning. I pull off my robe, not caring anymore about being in disguise. By now, it is pretty obvious we are not fae. Rhain’s eyes linger on the outline of a rose in full bloom that is wrapped around my upper arm. His eyes follow the thorny stem that curls down past my elbow, wraps around my wrist and finishes at my fingertip. He glances up, then raises an eyebrow.
“I’ll explain later,” I say.
Over my shoulder, Ezra and Devin are still fighting, but I have no time to think about it as I run the tip of the blade through one of the petals on my arm, just as Solomon instructed. I wince as my blood slides out of the cut, colouring in the tattoo, filling up every petal so that it’s no longer an outline but bright red, just like the rose I saw earlier today. Once my blood has reached the outline of the rose, it moves with purpose along the stem of the flower, following the same path all the way to the tip of my middle finger. I watch as just one drop of my blood hits the ground beneath our feet.
The ground shifts again, perhaps not as powerfully as it had earlier, but with purpose nonetheless. Out of the ground a green shoot rapidly appears, growing skyward. Rhain steps back, his eyes wide.
“What in Lights name?” he starts before twisting on his feet and punching a fae man squarely in the jaw. I hadn’t even heard him approaching. Before me the shoot grows into a twisting, tumbling plant that forms into an archway until a wooden door appears. On the centre of the door is the same rose that adorns my arm. Around the doorway, tiny red rosebuds burst into flowers.
It’s time to leave, I say silently to Devin, knowing he will be able to draw Ezra’s attention better than I can.
“Rhain, it’s time to go,” I shout, pushing open the door. Beyond the door is a darkened staircase that curls upwards and out of sight.
Rhain backhands another fae, just as Ezra and Devin come rushing towards me. I step through the door, Rhain, Ezra and Devin close behind. Over their shoulders I can see Solomon lift his hand at us, a triumphant smile on his lips. He flicks his wrist and in an instant the swarm of bees surround him. A moment later he is gone. As the door closes on the city, I catch sight of the fae king. He is screaming.
Chapter Fifteen
It isn’t long before the four of us reach the top of the stairs and step out into the Forbidden forest.
“Lights be damned, that was fun!” Devin says. He looks at me, a wicked smile spreading across his face.
“Trust you to enjoy that, Devin, but we’re not out of the woods just yet,” Rhain says with a wry grin. His eyes meet mine. “You are quite the surprise. Do you know that?” He pulls me into his arms and kisses me thoroughly. I can’t help but melt into the kiss, my body responding even though we are still in danger. God, I’ve missed him.
“There’s no time for jokes, or that,” Ezra snarls, pulling me out of Rhain’s embrace. “Let’s move. I want Accacia out of this wood now.” He takes my hand and starts to run. I have no choice but to go with him. Devin and Rhain catch up quickly, running alongside us both.
He’s looking better. How did you manage it, Red?
Red?
Red rose, he says, his eyes flicking to my tattoo. It’s my new nickname for you, don’t you like it?
I don’t need to look at Devin to know he is smiling. I’m guessing that I have no choice in the matter?
None whatsoever. He chuckles. So, how did you manage to persuade him?
I’m about to respond when I am tackled to the ground by Rhain, the force of his weight pulling me out of Ezra’s arms. The air leaves my chest in a rush.
“GET DOWN!” I hear Ezra shout to Devin. I am covered by Rhain, Ezra next to me. We lie side by side upon the forest floor behind a fallen tree. Above us fae magic crashes into the trunks of the surrounding trees, bits of wood splintering overhead. A few bury themselves into my skin. Devin crawls towards us, his arm bleeding.
Are you hurt? I ask, reaching towards him. He glances at his arm.
Just a scratch, Red. I’ll be fine.
“How in Lights name are we to get out of this mess? The fae magic is strong. We can’t fight them from this distance without being cut down,” Rhain growls. He is heavy on top of me, the weight of him making it difficult for me to breathe, and not in a good way.
Devin pushes at him slightly. “Give Accacia some room, Rhain. She can’t breathe.”
“Shit, sorry,” Rhain says, moving off me slightly.
“Our only choice is to outrun them. I will create a distraction. You get Accacia out, you hear me,” Ezra says fiercely.
Rhain and Devin nod their heads. “Yes, brother,” they say in unison.
“Wait!” I say, grabbing hold of Ezra’s arm. “I did not save your damn life for you to be taken back to the city and sacrificed by that mad fae king. You get out, do you hear me?” Our eyes lock and without thinking a second more, I pull his head towards me and kiss him passionately. I hear Rhain’s low whistle and Devin’s chuckle at the shock on Ezra’s face when I let him go.
“I hear you.” A small smile lifts the corner of his lips, before his face deadpans once again. “Get her out. NOW!” Ezra roars, then jumps up, heading in the opposite direction to us.
A moment later, I am pulled to my feet and we are running through the forest, Rhain holding onto my hand, Devin flanking us. I feel as though I am flying and I’m pretty sure it has to do with the fact that between them, Rhain and Devin are practically carrying me. Behind us the sound of fae magic lessens as we head towards the forest’s perimeter. Fortunately for us, night has fallen as we exit the Forbidden forest.
* * *
“It has been too long,” I say, wearing the rug thin in Nostra’s cottage with my pacing. After his initial happiness at seeing me, Mr Tickle has moved to the armchair in the corner of the room, disturbed now by my growing anxiety.
Rhain is chewing on his nail, staring out of the window. Devin is in the opposite corner of the room, staring at me.
He will be back, Red.
An hour has passed. Where is he? I can’t help the fear I feel. After all that we’ve been through together these past couple of days, it seems so cruel that he might be taken from me now.
“Nostra has sent his magic into the wood. He is doing everything he can to help. Ezra
will return,” Rhain says. Nostra left as soon as we arrived back at the cottage. He’d insisted that his magic would work better if he were nearer the edge of the forest and had rushed off, leaving us waiting behind.
Noticing my concern, Rhain reiterates his belief that Ezra will be okay. “He will return.”
He is trying to be optimistic, but he can’t fool me. I know he is as worried as I am.
“This is my fault…” I say, my voice wobbling.
No, Red, it is not. Devin gets up, strides over and pulls me into his arms. You are not to blame for anything, just like Ezra was not to blame for Thalia and Roseanna’s death. Guilt is ugly, and it can tear you apart. You saw first-hand what it did to Ezra. Do not let it do that to you too. Queen Adrielle is the only person to blame.
I nod my head, curling my hands around Devin’s top, breathing him in. I’ve missed him being inside my head. It is comforting to have his arms wrapped around me and a part of his soul floating within my consciousness. It makes me feel as though I belong, and that is something I haven’t felt for a very long time.
Behind me Rhain approaches and Devin releases me a little from his hold so I am caught between the two of them.
“You’ve given him a reason to return, Cia. He will be back.” Rhain pulls my back against his chest and presses a kiss against my neck. His hands splay against my stomach. Devin’s hands drop away, but he remains staring at me. Our eyes lock as Rhain’s kisses stray along my bare skin. A low groan erupts from Devin’s throat, but still he remains where he is.
“What are you doing, Rhain?” I ask, my voice low, full of the growing desire I feel.
“Distracting you,” he murmurs into my hair.
I laugh softly, it is certainly doing that. Devin starts to back away. “Where are you going?” I whisper. He stops, his eyes flicking from my mouth to my heavy-lidded eyes.
