Fae war chronicles the c.., p.7
Fae War Chronicles: The Complete Series, page 7
“I fear you are not dreaming, woman, though I do commend you for your efforts to make this disappear.”
“Listen, asshole,” I snap. “First of all, my name is Ember. Not woman. Second, I just watched a man murdered in front of me, then fell down who the hell knows how many flights of stairs. The last thing I want to deal with is you behaving like a prick.”
His expression softens nearly instantly. “Who did they kill?”
“I don’t know. Wasn’t really time for pleasantries.” My voice cracks as my eyes fill, the image of his terrified gaze sinking in. “He told me to find you,” I tell him. “Any idea why?”
“He was likely a rebel,” Rafferty replies, as though it’s the most normal thing in the world. “And the rebels wish to dethrone Taranus.”
“Why?”
“Because he is a bastard unfit to rule.” His reply is coated with so much hostility it charges the air around us.
“Is that why you’re down here? Because you do not want him as king?”
Rafferty stares at the wall past me, his gaze haunted. “Something like that.”
“Flora knows green is a rebel color?”
“She does. While I believe she never meant for any harm to come to you, Flora can be quite vindictive, and it appears as though you got caught in the crossfire.”
“Of a fight that isn’t mine!” I retort, a bit louder than I meant.
“Taranus murdered Flora’s brother right in front of her. He removed her wings and bleached her hair as punishment. Trust me, Ember, she has every right to hate him.”
Every bit of anger I’d felt at the woman disappears instantly. I have no siblings, but if I did and someone killed them, I wouldn’t give a shit whether or not a random person was caught in the middle. “Why is she still here?”
“Because I have no choice.”
I whirl as Flora steps down off the bottom step. Shit, I hadn’t even heard her! But based on Rafferty’s lack of surprise, he had.
“Why are you down here?” All of her earlier appeasement is gone down in the depths of this dungeon. As though she’s finally out of the presence of a king she refuses to bow to.
“I fell.”
“You look a mess.” She shifts her gaze from me to Rafferty. “And you’re likely filling her head with all kinds of rebellious notions.”
“Kind of similar to how you dressed her in green?” he asks.
“Taranus cannot control every aspect of my life, Rafferty.”
“You dressed me in rebel colors, knowing it would piss him off?” I ask, even as I understand why she did it. I need her to see me as more than a weak human because I imagine I can’t escape without her.
“Taranus would not harm you, that I was sure of. But seeing his future bride in green did piss him off.”
I ball both hands into fists. “I am not marrying him.”
“That’s not what he believes,” Flora replies as she moves closer to Rafferty’s cell. As she does, she unwraps a fabric napkin and holds it out.
The man behind bars stands for the first time, and my mouth goes dry as I cannot help but stare at the wall of muscle reaching for a napkin full of fruit.
“Can’t you conjure more than that?” I ask. Surely a man of that size needs more—
“The walls are lined with iron. My power does not work here.” She accepts the now empty napkin as Rafferty eats the fruit. Then, she turns to me.
When she crosses the distance, I instinctively take a step back. So far, I haven’t met a single person who cannot be seen as a threat in one way or another. Taranus literally murdered a man in front of me, Rafferty has been imprisoned, and Flora? Well, she seems to have her own brand of violence.
“I won’t hurt you,” she says.
“Says the woman who might as well have dressed me in red and put me in front of a bull,” I snap.
“I did not know whether or not you were a threat. Had you turned your nose up at the green dress, I would have known you were not on our side.”
“You let me wear it. Let me put it on even when you saw I had no idea what it meant.”
“I was curious.” She shrugs. “Don’t worry. I took my licks for allowing you to wear it.” Flora turns her back toward me and drops her left shoulder, using her right hand to pull the fabric down far enough that I can see thick, red wounds sticking out from the top.
My stomach churns, and my heart aches for the pain she must have suffered. “What did they do to you?”
“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” she replies as she straightens her gown.
“You have to stay alive, Flora. You cannot taunt him.”
Her eyes are full of tears when she turns to Rafferty. “I don’t have a choice. Serving him after what he did to my brother—” She chokes out, and rage burns hot through me.
“He forces you to stay here,” I say, recalling what she said when she came down. She doesn’t have a choice—not any more so than Rafferty chooses to remain behind those bars.
“Part of my sentence,” she snaps.
“He—” I choke out, my voice not wanting to form the words.
“Taranus is a monster,” Flora tells me.
“You need to get her out of this castle,” Rafferty tells Flora.
“It’s impossible. They watch her like a hawk.”
“Not right now. They can’t find her.”
Flora narrows her gaze at me. “True.”
“So get her out. Now.”
“Um, excuse me, I’m standing right here.” Feeling like a third party in a conversation that directly involves me, I raise my hand. “Literally, right here.”
Neither bothers to look at me. “Get her out. That’s an order.”
“In case you’ve forgotten, we’re both here because of one of your orders. You’ll excuse me if I’m not jumping to follow another that would lead to us both dying.”
“Flora—”
“No,” she interrupts. “I’m not leaving you. Besides, they took my wings, Raffe. We won’t make it past the gates before we’re both so full of arrows we’ll make the quivers jealous.”
Rafferty reaches through the bars and grips Flora’s hand. I watch, feeling like a third wheel, yet again, as her bottom lip quivers. “My fate is sealed. Yours is not. Perhaps you don’t get her out tonight. Play the game, stop with the rebellion, and sneak her out at your first opportunity.”
“Your fate is not sealed. I will get that key, and I will free you.”
“Key?”
“To the cell,” Flora replies. “Conary carries it with him everywhere.”
“He spends a lot of time with Taranus?”
“Yes.”
“I can get the key.”
Flora stares at me a moment before crossing her arms. “You can get it.”
“Yes. As it happens, being a hungry orphan earned me some skills as a pickpocket.”
Rafferty grips the bars, and my pulse increases quickly when his eyes meet mine. Probably not a good thing, given I’m pretty sure Flora and he are a thing. “Doing so could get you into trouble,” he says.
“Staying here seems like it will do the same. I’d rather take my future into my own hands.” Besides, it’s not like I have long left to live, anyway, I add silently. Just because I’m feeling better doesn’t mean I’m not still dying.
“If you free me, I will get you out of here.”
“I want to go home.”
“As I mentioned, the Veil is warded closed, but if you can guide me to the portal you came through, I can get you there.”
“Deal.” I hold out a hand, and he stares down at it. I’m ready to pull it back when his large hand envelopes mine. Something in the air around us shifts as his hand warms mine. I swallow hard and force myself to pull back despite how damned right the contact felt.
I’m no fool, though. Taranus may be the larger threat at the moment, but Rafferty is no innocent man. That much I can see.
He just so happens to be the lesser of two evils.
“Flora, get her back to her room. They will be here soon.”
“Be here for what?” I ask him, then turn to Flora.
“I’ve faced much worse, Ember. Come get me when you find the key, but no sooner. The more you come down here, the more risk you face.”
“Let’s go.” Flora grips my arm, but I’m hesitant to leave.
“You are a powerful woman, Ember.”
“No. I’m not.”
He smirks. “You possess the power to move this world. So long as it doesn’t destroy you first.”
Chapter 9
Ember
This is real.
Those three words run through my mind on repeat, a brilliantly illuminated marquee reminding me that I am no longer in control of anything that happens to me in this place. How can I be when I’m human and these damn things can fly?
“Stay close,” Flora warns as we reach the top of the stairs. She peeks out, and her hair becomes wispy in a breeze. “Come.”
I follow her out into the main hall, and we slow our pace to normal. As we walk, our leather shoes padding softly are drowned out by heavy footfalls just ahead.
“Follow my lead,” she warns as two men rush forward.
“Flora, I see you found our guest.”
“Joaquin,” she says as she drops into a curtsey. Now, I see the stiffness in her movements. She hates this—every single bit of it. “I found her wandering outside in the roses.”
His golden gaze shifts to me, and in it, I see disbelief. “Funny, we looked there.”
“Not hard enough,” I say as I gesture to my dirty gown. “I fell and hit my head on a rock. Flora found me.”
He smirks. “You’d do well to show more respect.”
“You’d do well to do the same,” I reply. After all, if they think I’m to be the queen, doesn’t that earn me some right to say what I want?
At that exact moment, Taranus and Conary round the corner. Taranus holds out his hands and takes mine. “Ember, my dear, what happened to you?”
“I fell in the rose garden. Hit my head. Flora rescued me.”
Taranus glances at Flora.
“It’s true, My King,” she says as she curtseys once more.
“Then I am grateful to you for a safe return of Ember. You may leave. We have matters to discuss.”
Flora looks reluctant, but I smile at her. “Thank you so much for rescuing me.”
“Of course, mistress.” She curtsies at me and moves quickly down the hall and out of sight.
Forcing my attention to Taranus, I swallow hard. It’s impossible to see anyone but a murderer now, but if I’m to get the key from Conary, I need to earn their trust. “I apologize for my quick departure. Flora explained to me that the rebels are looking to hurt you and anyone who is loyal to you.”
He arches a blond eyebrow. “Did she now?”
“She did.”
“I am grateful, then, that she was able to explain that to you.” He puts my arm through his, and we begin walking. Conary lingers behind, but I can sense his presence just behind us. “I do apologize for my crass nature, though. I was so afraid for your safety that I fear I lost my head a bit in there.”
“I appreciate your concern,” I say.
He guides me down another long hallway lined with windows. Just outside, I see a vast garden overflowing with bright blooms. Red, pink, and white roses shine beneath golden rays of sunshine. Heart in my throat, I allow Taranus to guide me outside. “Tell me, my dear, where did you fall?”
“Huh?”
He stops and turns me to face him. “I wish to see where you fell so we can prevent it from happening again.”
Shit, shit, shit. I turn from him and study the flower garden. “I was honestly disoriented,” I tell him as my cheeks heat. “I’m a bit embarrassed, to be honest.”
Taranus’s grin spreads, and I know, without a doubt, that both mine and Flora’s future depends on me convincing him of the truth in our lie.
“Maybe, if we walk around, I’ll see it?”
“Very well.” He tucks my arm through his again and we begin to walk. The gravel path crunches beneath our steps, but all I can hear is the heavy thundering of my nervous heart. “As we walk, why don’t you tell me of how you got here?”
“I don’t really know. I was out getting some fresh air, and I saw this light. I followed it, and then woke up in the woods where Conary found me.” Don’t lay it on too thick, Ember, I remind myself. The best lies are layered with truths, but you get caught when you try to be too detailed—too fake.
“You must have stumbled through the only portal up between our worlds.”
“Portal?” I feign innocence since the only person who gave me any information is one I should never have met.
“Our worlds are separated by a veil. It is impassable by anyone but a light fae.”
“Are you a light fae?”
“I am.” We turn a corner. “Not too long ago, that veil was warded closed by a fae who wanted to trap her brother on your side. Seems she left a portal open, though.” He smiles at me. “Does anything look familiar, yet?”
“Not yet,” I reply. “But I do love these flowers.”
“I am happy to show you all of the gardens should you wish to see them.”
“I do. Being out here calms my nerves.”
“Good.” He pats the hand looped through his arm, and his touch is like sandpaper. We turn another corner, and I see it. Somehow, someone messed up the gravel. A rock juts out of the ground, and it’s tipped with a bit of crimson.
“This is it. This is where I fell!” I yell loudly. Birds take to the sky around us, and Taranus glances back at Conary.
“Why has this not been tended to?” he asks.
“I’ll find out.”
Victorious in solidifying my lie, I smile at them both. “It really is not a big deal.”
“You are bleeding, Ember. That is a big deal. Your fragile state needs to be tended to. I will escort you to the healer.”
“I really am okay.”
Taranus grins at me, showing off a row of impossibly white teeth. “While I am grateful you think so, I’d much rather have our healer take a look at you.”
“If it will make you feel better, I will do it.”
He beams at me. “I am grateful for that. This way.” He loops my arm back through his and guides me back down the path toward the castle. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Flora in what looks like an herb garden. She doesn’t spare me a glance, but I know it was her.
Somehow, she fixed it so Taranus would not recognize my deceit.
Getting the key is about more than freeing Rafferty or myself. I can also free Flora, and that alone is worth the risk.
“Can I ask you a question?” We step inside where the sunlight is replaced with flaming sconces on the walls.
“Of course.”
“The man you—”
His grip tightens. “I truly am sorry I killed him in front of you. That was very unkind of me.”
Not an apology for taking a life, just for letting me see it. “I understand why you did it, though it did bother me to see it.”
“Won’t happen again. You have my word.”
“Thank you.”
“Of course. Now, what was your question?”
“The man told me to get Raffe? Who is that?”
Taranus stops and turns me to face him. His expression darkens, eyes hardening. I almost regret asking at all, but I need to know everything I can. And if Taranus can give me anything at all about the prisoner beneath the castle, I want to know.
“Rafferty is—was—my brother. He tried to have me killed when he was not chosen for the throne. His jealousy—” Taranus closes his eyes tightly, and I find myself even more grateful that I met Rafferty first. Because this show? It’s damned convincing. “He was killed when he led an army to our castle in an attempt to kill me.”
I feign surprise, covering my mouth with one hand and gasping for an audible effect. “Your own brother tried to kill you?”
He nods. “We’d lost our sister a few centuries back, and Rafferty was never the same afterward. Seems he lost his mind.”
“I am so sorry, Taranus. That is horrible.”
“I appreciate that, Ember. While I never wished for my brother’s demise, I truly am grateful he is not here to threaten you.”
“Why would he be a threat to me?”
“Because I adore you, and my adoration makes you a target for anyone who wishes me harm. It’s why I took the threat earlier so seriously.”
“You adore me? But you barely know me.”
He stops in front of a door. “You are a kind woman, Ember. I can see that much in your gaze, and you would treat my people with kindness they have not known in quite some time.” Leaning in, he presses a kiss to my cheek, then knocks on the door. “I will escort you back to your room when you are ready.”
The door opens, and Taranus steps aside as an older woman with a hollow smile answers the door. “May I help you?”
“Heelean, so good to see you. Ember is in need of an exam. I fear she tripped outside in the garden and injured herself.”
Heelean swallows hard and nods. “Then I shall see to her.” Stepping to the side, she gestures for me to enter. The soothing scents of lavender and vanilla fill my lungs as she quickly closes the door and moves swiftly across the room to a table on the opposite side.
As she messes with something in jars, I study the room. A small bed sits on one wall, a countertop on the other, and an empty tray that looks as though it was brought to her in here with food sits on the countertop. “Do you live in here?”
“I do,” she replies. “Come sit so I can take a look at you.”
Obeying, I sit down on a chair beside her countertop. The short woman is the only one I’ve seen not wearing white. Instead, she wears a black gown that hugs her waist and falls down to her feet. “You aren’t wearing white.”
“I am in mourning,” she replies as she tilts my head to the side and dabs something on my injury. The sting shoots through my head, and I wince. “You poor dear, seems you took quite a fall.” She reaches for a pair of tweezers then plucks something from my wound.
