Guardians of Fire Page 15

  He took these from me without changing his glare, tugging them on quickly and using his old pair of pants as scrap material to wrap the bracelet. Once it was out of sight, he appeared more relax. By wrapping the bracelet, he wouldn’t inadvertently burn himself. Smart.

  I had to admire the guy. He wasn’t a fool, and I’d never think that of him. Not even when I had the upper hand.

  “All right. It’s time to go.”

  “Where are we going?” he asked.

  I headed up through the trap door and waited for my captive to follow. Arthas emerged, and I closed it as he stepped clear. He scrutinized my companions with pure disdain, unfazed by their lack of interest in the Ancient.

  “Now to get some blood from Ursad,” I said, “and then on to The Heart of Fire and Ice.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Benton

  Shade emerged with the Unseelie Ancient, which wasn’t unexpected, but no one spoke as he joined us. The bracelet on his arm marked him as under Shade’s command, which basically made him harmless, but the way everyone eyed him, no one was going to extend any kind of gesture of friendship to the guy any time soon. Who could blame us? He had nearly single-handedly brought the Land of Faerie to its knees. He couldn’t be trusted, even while leashed like a dog.

  “Benton.” Arthas approached me unexpectedly. “I didn’t get to meet you the last time I was out. I hope you’re ready for another adventure.”

  His proximity took me by surprise, and I took a step back to keep him at a safe distance. What was up with these Ancients who had no concept of personal space?

  “Dude, you were tearing everything up and threatened to kill my sister. I never wanted to meet you.”

  He snickered, but when he saw I wasn’t going to take it, his smirk deepened and he dropped the hand he’d held out for me to take.

  “I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I tend to meet the brother of the woman who has me… what’s the term? Oh yes, wrapped around her finger.”

  “You know the moment we no longer need you, you’ll be Sleeping Beauty once more. You’re only free for a tiny bit.”

  Arthas’s face reddened, his aggravation painted on his features. He turned as the rest of the group began to move, falling into step behind Shade and Soap. I was sure I had insulted the guy, but I didn’t care, and I doubted anyone else cared by the way they all kept walking without a second glance toward Arthas. The guy held himself in high prestige above everyone else. What a self-righteous prick. I hoped Shade put him back in his coffin sooner rather than later. He would sell anyone for whatever ransom, even a tiny thing. He was capable of anything, and I hated to know he’d be so close to my friends, lurking and conspiring.

  “Benton, here.” Isolde fell into step next to me and held out a strip of beef jerky to snack on. “Don’t let that fool get under your skin. The Ancients aren’t used to human interaction. Or any at all, really. They consider everyone else beneath them. I’m sure it’s going to take quite an adjustment for any of them to lower themselves to our level.” She winked, her joke not lost on me.

  “I know.” I chewed pensively. “I just can’t help it. He nearly got all of Faerie destroyed. We can’t trust someone like that. He has nothing to lose. He’s dangerous.”

  “And you’re not? You have everything to lose and more, which makes you even more dangerous than Arthas ever could be. Don’t forget that.”

  “You think so?”

  She nodded and leaned in as we continued walking out of the tunnels, pressing a peck of a kiss onto my cheek. I threw her a side smile, feeling my face heat up under her loving eyes. It felt nice—no, wonderful—to have her on my side. She was right. Maybe I was more dangerous than Arthas, for I had her love, my family, and my friends to fight for, and I would go through hell for them. I would even face down an Unseelie Ancient.

  “You’re right. I would give everything to keep you all safe. It must be horrible to be him, all lonely and unlovable. There are worse things out there than fighting each other.”

  “True. You got me. That’s way more than what some have, right?” She winked at me, and I draped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her tightly to my side. No one could ever dim our love. Nothing would burn us out this time around. I’d make sure of it.

  The next stop was The Glass Castle to see Ursad, except when we got there, he wasn’t at home. Shade asked Camulus if he knew where his master had gone, but he shrugged, unusually unconcerned for Ursad. Ever since Ursad’s father, Corb, had asked him to betray Shade, they hadn’t exactly seen eye to eye.

  Shade stared wide-mouthed at Camulus. Even though he chose to work for us as a teleporter, what did we really know about him? What had happened to his relationship with Ursad? It had obviously soured, for the two had not spoken in a long time. His lack of concern for his old friend unnerved me.

  “That’s great,” I said. “How are we going to get the blood of an ice faery if we don’t know any others with ice powers besides Corb?”

  Shade stared at the desolate castle. It was intact. Ursad’s servants were still there, but none could offer us the location of their ruler. He’d been in a drunken stupor for a while, from what I’d heard, devastated that he’d betrayed Shade. We hadn’t heard much from him.

  As an old friend of Shade’s from the first time she stepped foot into Faerie, he was absent when needed. Strange, especially if he desired to make it up to Shade. He’d been in love with her, but there were very few men she let in. She attracted guys like fly paper, most falling in love without thought to whether or not she loved them back. I think it had something to do with her magnetizing magic. Good thing she hadn’t had those powers in high school. It would’ve made it hellish for her.

  The unfortunate thing was that somehow, I guess staying away from her turned them all mad. It was no wonder that everyone she touched came around to visit her for another hit of her essence, sooner or later.

  Shade shook her head, confused, while peering about the castle. She had fond memories of it and had spent some time there with Ursad. It felt empty, lacking so many things without the vibrant faery to indulge us.

  “We have to go find Corb,” she said. The group groaned in unison.

  “Why? With Arthas, Rowan, and your blood, you’ll have the blood of three Ancients. I’m sure we can find another ice faery without dragging the last Ancient into all this. You should have dealt with him when you had the chance. He’s no good, Shade. None of them are.”

  Everybody stared at me with eyes wide open. Maybe I was being too harsh, but I didn’t care. All I knew was that Corb was bad news, and I didn’t want to get involved with him again.

  “Come on, Shade,” I pressed. “Corb almost killed you once; Arthas also threw you to the wolves and almost brought down all of Faerie. I don’t need to even start with Kilara. Maybe we need to get rid of some Ancients around here.”

  Shade frowned as Isolde cleared her throat, trying hard not to laugh. Arthas had a nice smirk on his face and was openly laughing at my comments. I wanted to slam his face into the ground, but I kept my violent tendencies tucked away.

  “Benton, it doesn’t work that way. We have to get this magic, and we need them to do it. It’s the only way we can get in without being killed. And besides, I still don’t have Kilara’s blood. As much as she wants the cure from The Heart, there’s no guarantee she’d give it to me. Just be patient, okay? I know this isn’t fun, and I know we’re not moving very fast. Yes, we’re accumulating a little bit of baggage”—she glanced toward Arthas and Rowan—“but this needs to get done so Kilara can finally leave us alone.”

  I scoffed. “She’s never going to leave you alone, Shade. Haven’t you figured that out yet? I think you need to put her in an eternal slumber too. It’s the only way. If she’s asleep, she leaves everybody alone.”

  Shade was in my face in a moment, frustration more than anger steaming in her features. “Look, Benton, I know you’re frustrated, and I know that we have enemies amongst us,
but I have to do this. I have no choice. You are not bound by any kind of blood to her. You’re free to do as you wish, but I must do what I have to do or its complete agony. She torments me. You wouldn’t understand.”

  “I—I’m sorry, sis. Really. You’re right. I don’t understand. It’s all so crazy.”

  Shade exhaled, rubbing her forehead as she pressed her eyes tightly shut. “I’m sorry too. I just… I have to do this. There is no choice for me. Even if I were willing to suffer the consequences, she’s placed that curse on Soap.”

  “I understand,” I whispered, putting a hand on her shoulder. She needed to eat or rest; she was getting so thin. “Come on, we’ll get this over with, but first, let’s take a break and eat. We could all use some grub.”

  She nodded, blinking back tired tears as she looked up and smiled at me.

  “There’s my big sis. Hey, you’ve been taxing yourself too much. Let’s just breathe for a moment, okay?”

  “All right.”

  “Come on, you guys,” Isolde called out to us. “The servants set up all sorts of treats for us in the royal sitting rooms. Even though Ursad isn’t here, they are happy to have company to serve.” She waved us over with a contagious elation I had to admit made me want to join her.

  I turned toward Shade. “It’ll be all right. Let’s just take a moment and enjoy ourselves for once. It’s not every day I get to help guard my sister on her many adventures.” I winked.

  She grinned, looking a lot more alive than she had a moment before, and joined me and Isolde as we made our way down the hall where we could already hear laughter spilling out from Ursad’s sitting room. At least now we could breathe, even for just a moment.

  Chapter Thirty

  Dylan

  It was the day of the election, and I shoved through the crowd to get to the front regardless of the snarky complaints I received on my way there. I didn’t really care what the other Teleen thought of me, I just needed to see the debate in full throttle for myself.

  “How do you plan on helping the fertility of our people? There’s no cure. We’ll die off soon.”

  The voice came from a large, burly man who stood with his arms crossed, digging his eyes into Sylphi. The other candidate glanced her way to see if she’d take the bait, eyes shining with mischief. The guy was her opponent’s supporter, and I hated how it came down to spats like this before elections. It was a valid question, though, and I laid my eyes on Sylphi to see her standing tall and confident behind her podium.

  “I plan to gather more oracles and bring them here to check the health of our people and add any kind of supplements and magical interventions that could help us. Any witches with fertility spells will be welcomed. I also plan to make sure our food and water is tested thoroughly. There could be hidden elements within them that suppress our fertility. If found, I will make every effort to remove them. We shall become a strong, vibrant tribe once more.”

  The crowd muttered its agreement, with many of them cheering her on. Her opponent, Leona, stared at Sylphi with glassy eyes as though she’d not slept for days. She appeared confident enough, but the way she hesitated told me she’d been deprived and was probably a bundle of nerves beneath her hardened exterior.

  “And you, Leona? What do you think of this matter?”

  Sylphi’s opponent answered, but her applause was stifled as some muttered that she wasn’t the one to ask such things of. The woman had never had a child due to choice, not because she wasn’t married. How could she have anything relevant to say if she wasn’t personally willing to do everything to help our tribe’s survival?

  I beamed as I watched the debate continue on. Sylphi would win. She had it in the bag without even trying. Not only did she glance at me often, her face flushed from excitement, but she didn’t let our night together and subsequent morning when I’d bolted affect her speech and debates. I had to admit it, she’d make a fine queen, but she wasn’t the queen for me.

  “Thank you, everyone! Tonight, we will reveal the vote. Please proceed to the voting stations to cast your ballots.”

  The crowd moved in force toward the polls. It was all too human-like, and I sighed as I walked toward one of the shorter lines to cast my own vote. Sylphi had retired to her room to wait until the votes were counted. From the looks she’d thrown my way prior to leaving, I knew she wanted me there with her.

  And I’d go. Why not? I had taken her this far, the least I could do was to sit with her as she waited for the decision to reach her. I already felt the guilt of taking off on her creeping up my insides.

  As I dropped my ballot into one of the boxes, I turned to leave and nearly ran right into Argos, one of Queen Gretel’s advisors, and from the looks of him, he wasn’t thrilled to see me.

  “Are you going to marry her?” he asked.

  “Excuse me?”

  He glanced at the crowd of people milling about and moved us over to the side where there were fewer people. “Sylphi,” he said in a low voice. “Are you going to divorce Shade and marry Sylphi?”

  I eyed the guy, wondering what he was getting at. If I wasn’t mistaken, I felt a touch of a threat coming through in his voice. “No. Why do you ask?”

  His face darkened as his steel grey eyes—the signature color of my people—flashed in the torchlight.

  “I want her, and you’re in my way.”

  Nice that he was so straightforward.

  “Whoa. I’m sure you need to take this up with Sylphi.” I tried to side-step him, but he followed my movements, blocking my way.

  “I did. And yet you’re still in the way.”

  I stared at Argos, a normally calm and serious guy. The hatred emanating from him was off-putting. I wondered if Sylphi even knew he existed.

  “She turned you down, huh? Not my problem. Seriously, now you’re in my way, so if you don’t mind, I’m going to get out of here.”

  “You can’t have all the women here, Dylan. It doesn’t work that way. You go back to your wife and let Sylphi choose someone else, or I’m going to help that along. Either way, you should leave Teleen if you know what’s good for you. You’re not welcomed here.”

  Stunned, I watched as he turned away and walked out of the hall. So that’s how it was going to be, huh? I made sure to sweep the room with my eyes and study the other Teleen men who were not paired off with mates. Some were eyeing me with similar disdain, but none dared approach me. Why had Argos done so, then?

  Resuming my trek to Sylphi’s room, I kept an extra-vigilant eye on my surroundings. If there were other suitors vying for her, I was going to get unwarranted challenges if I wasn’t careful. It was something I wanted to avoid at all costs, and I knew then that if I was to choose between her and Shade, I would have to do it soon or suffer some grave consequences.

  Still, nothing like a good Teleen fight to take my mind off things. When Argos rounded the corner and blocked my path once more, this time flanked by two of his flunkies, I was almost glad for it.

  “Well, hello, darlings,” I chanted. “I’m sorry, but I’m not in the mood to dance today.”

  “I warned you. You’re heading to see her now, aren’t you?”

  “What’s it to you?” I asked and flicked a threatening glare at Argos’s lackeys. “You’re mighty presumptuous if you think beating me up is going to change her mind. Sylphi does what she wants, and I highly doubt she wants anything to do with an old man like you, Argos.”

  He smirked. Not a good sign. “You think you’re the only one she’s playing with? You’re the fool I always knew you were. She toys with you like a child with a doll. You’re nothing to her, you know? If you think you have the advantage over her, you’re sorely mistaken.”

  So she had her hands in more than one cookie jar. Great. Using me had just been part of her plan to win the crown. I suddenly felt dirty. That woman was toxic, and I could see it was contagious.

  “You know what, man? You can have her. I’m done here. There’s somewhere I need to be, and it’s no
t with Sylphi. Have at it. Sloppy seconds is always so awesome, isn’t it?”

  “You don’t think I really believe you’ll just walk away from Sylphi without a fight?” Argos blocked my way again and held out an arm, shoving me back. “I’m not done with you. You need to respect authority around here. You never did when you were Gretel’s favorite soldier. Well, now she’s almost dead, and you have no friends here.”

  “Don’t need them.” I pulled at my link with Shade. Her powers amplified mine, and Argos was the one who was mistaken if he thought fighting a king of a realm of Faerie was smart. I wasn’t the Teleen king, but I was one, nonetheless.

  I felt the tug of my kingdom calling to me, begging for me to return, but diverting its magic my way if needed. There was no greater power than that of a realm that served and obeyed its rulers. I felt my glamor slip, and my eyes flashed white as my lips curled in a threatening sneer.

  “You want to play with a king of Faerie, go right ahead. You won’t get past me if you tried. You or your friends, Argos.”

  The sight obviously shocked the trio, for they stepped back, confused. Had they forgotten I was royalty now? The fools.

  “I apologize, Your Majesty. I thought that with Queen Shade gone, you were through. We’ll be on our way.”

  They walked away, and I watched them until they disappeared around the bend. I snuffed my fire, weaving a layer of glamor around it and allowing the hall to dim to the low torchlight once more.

  I had felt Shade’s power fuse into mine once more, willingly strengthening me when I needed it. There had been no mental message or word from her, just silent support. This was all I needed.

  I turned and headed in the direction of Sylphi’s room. It was time to tell her goodbye.

  Chapter Thirty-One