Faes enlightenment, p.13
Fae's Enlightenment, page 13
part #4 of Call of the Elements Series
Alra reached for the sword on his side, but a strong hand wrapped around his wrist.
“We’ll accept the invitation,” the king responded. “Please lead the way.” He released the captain’s arm and stepped towards the gate.
A wave of uneasiness crept over Alra as he followed his king. The dozen warriors surrounded the pair, and I felt my training buddy struggle to keep his fingers away from his weapon. The hostility in the air nearly choked me, but the king and his captain never faltered.
The back of Braden’s blonde head slowly faded, replaced by an enormous room lined with carpets on the walls. No, they were those tapestry things I’d read about in history books. I would’ve liked to look at their designs, but Alra ignored them as he marched down the center of the room, his steps muffled by a thick red carpet. The king strode forward just in front of him, and they stopped at the bottom of three marbled steps.
Alra forced himself to look at the woman sitting on the throne in front of them. I could feel his contempt and anger just as clearly as if it were my own. He didn’t see her willowy frame or long blond hair, only the hostility in her blue eyes. Eyes that looked so much like Braden’s.
“What do you want, Nardan?” she asked, smoothing her long skirt over her knees.
“I assume the elementals have approached you asking for our assistance, Sabina,” he said, placing his left foot on the first step to her dais.
Queen Sabina flicked her hand at him and pulled her lips into a thin line. “Why do we care what happens to the humans?” she sneered. “They’ve been killing each other for years.”
“Because they are now killing any magical creature they can find,” King Nardan retorted. He looked just like Ronquil—well, Ronquil looked just like him. “You know this as well as I.”
Alra bristled with his king’s anger, and his gaze flicked to a group of men and women standing a few yards to his right. Of course, I recognized Braden and Jack immediately. The others looked like they could be Braden’s siblings.
“If the others cannot defend themselves, maybe they should be killed,” the queen spat. “We are not their keepers or protectors.”
Alra continued to watch the group on the right, ignoring the queen’s caustic remarks. A flicker of uncertainty marred Braden’s arrogant smile, but only for a moment. Jack nodded as if he completely agreed with the queen, though the two women standing beside Jack shook their heads, their faces flushed with embarrassment. There could be no doubt with Alra’s ability to feel their emotions. The girls completely disagreed with Jack and their queen. The other three men—who I didn’t recognize—appeared confused. Their gazes danced between their queen and King Nardan.
“If the elementals request our help, we cannot deny them, Sabina,” Nardan argued. “Have you considered the consequences of doing so?”
“I didn’t have to consider them,” she said, shifting on her throne. “That arrogant one with wings made it very clear he would separate us from our elemental magic.” She wrinkled her slender nose and frowned even deeper. “As if that were possible. No one can take away our magic.”
“So you denied him? You denied the elementals?”
Even though I knew the outcome, I shared Nardan’s disbelief. How did someone honestly deny Dusha? I’d tried really hard, even fought him less than twenty-four hours ago because I didn’t want to play his games. In the end, I couldn’t deny him even though I was supposedly stronger than these other fae.
“Of course I denied him,” she snarled. “I’ll not send my warriors to fight against a bunch of filthy humans. They are so far beneath us, they don’t even warrant our attention.”
“Don’t be a fool,” Nardan growled. “You do not want to anger the elementals. You will jeopardize the future for all of us in doing so.”
Sabina rose from her throne, the silky fabric of her long skirt cascading around her. “I’ll do whatever I please,” she said, stepping towards him. She stopped at the top step, her eyes level with his even though he still stood on the bottom step. I hadn’t realized how tall the king was until that moment, or maybe the queen was really short. “I stopped taking orders from a man when I killed my husband,” she whispered.
Alra’s gaze snapped to the group at the edge of the room. If they heard her, they didn’t react to her murderous admission. The tapestries on the walls billowed, and dozens of armed warriors appeared, weapons already pointed at the captain and his king.
Alra’s anger boiled to the surface, and his sword whispered from its sheath at his side. Nardan took a step back and placed his hand on his captain’s shoulder.
“You’ll regret this decision, Sabina,” he said. “I hope you have not doomed us all.”
“Not likely, Nardan. Elise made the decision before me. It’ll be hers to regret, not mine.”
As her eyes flicked to her warriors, an avalanche of anger and lust for violence smashed into Alra. He gripped his king’s arm with his free hand, and the room disappeared. The familiar feeling of rushing between the realms ended with the two men falling to their knees in another throne room.
Nardan jumped to his feet and roared. Another flicker of unease snaked through Alra’s subconscious along with his king’s anger.
“I never should’ve stepped back when they killed their kings,” Nardan bellowed, picking up a small ornate table and flinging it across the room. “They should have been executed for their treason!”
The table shattered against the stone wall. Alra flinched but remained silent. He still hadn’t rose from his kneeling position, and I could feel his own frustration mixing with the king’s outrage. Nardan paced back and forth across the dais in front of a throne like Sabina’s. Unlike her throne room, there was no one to witness the king’s anger except his captain.
“We’ll plead with the elementals to spare us,” Nardan said, stopping suddenly. “I won’t be punished for the folly of those ignorant wenches.” The king’s anger dimmed, and Alra met his gaze. “Rise, Alra. You have no need to fear me.”
I felt Alra’s huff of disbelief, but he didn’t show it to the king. He rose, pulling his shoulders back and sheathing his sword.
“Captain, summon my advisors and my eldest sons.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Alra bowed, but before he raised his head, a blinding light filled the room.
Surprise and fear slammed into the captain, but I knew what was coming. More like who, not what.
“Nardan.” Dusha’s presence filled the room, dampening the command in his voice. “What is your decision?”
Alra’s gaze lifted to the winged elemental who was so much like a man but not. I couldn’t separate the king’s awe and fear from the captain’s. Both men stood in reverence to the spirit elemental. Did they know what Dusha was, or did they just see another magical being stronger than themselves?
“The other kingdoms will not join me,” Nardan replied, his voice no longer certain.
“I already knew they would not,” Dusha stated. “Will you send your warriors to defend the dryads and fairies in the fae woodlands?”
A spear of uncertainty pierced Alra, and he pulled his gaze from the elemental to his king. This was the moment their lives would change. I could feel it in the air around us.
“If I send my warriors, I’ll have no one left to defend my people,” Nardan said. “The traitorous queens will use this weakness against me and steal my kingdom.”
Dusha’s glowing eyes softened his hard words. “Do you believe we would allow your kingdom to fall when you’ve proven your loyalty?”
Nardan looked away, and Alra frowned, feeling the king’s lingering indecision.
“I can send half of my warriors to their aid,” Nardan conceded.
“Your gift will be remembered,” Dusha said. Typical of the elemental I knew, he shattered into a million tiny stars.
The scene faded, and I found myself back in my sanctuary. I gripped the cool stone bench beneath me, trying to give my mind time to catch up. The candles’ soft glow flickered against the dark stone, creating a calm that didn’t exist in Alra’s memory. Alra’s hands still cupped the sides of my face, and his forehead was still pressed against mine.
“He didn’t send his warriors, did he?” I reached up and pulled his hands from my face.
“No.” He leaned back, putting space between us but not letting go of my hands. “When the time came to send them, Nardan refused. I argued with him, reminding him of the threat issued to Sabina about losing our magic. Rather than listen to me, he banished me from the castle.” Alra shook his head and rubbed his thumbs across my palms. “There is more.”
I drew in a breath, wanting to know, yet not wanting to see more. “Okay.”
His calloused hands once again surrounded my face, and his forehead pressed against mine. The silence of my home disappeared, replaced by Sabina’s now-familiar throne room.
Alra marched with a group of warriors into the spacious room, stopping midway. Even the thick red carpet and hanging tapestries didn’t mute the sound of their metal armor as they invaded Queen Sabina’s space. I didn’t miss that he was in the middle of the group rather than leading it.
Fear and anger assaulted Alra’s mind. I could feel him trying to reinforce his mental barrier, but it wasn’t working. His hands trembled in his leather gloves, and he clenched them into tight fists.
“It’s about time you arrived!” Sabina shouted from her throne. “They’ve already killed half of my castle staff.”
“If you had not denied the elementals’ request, they wouldn’t be here!” Nardan bellowed from the front of Alra’s group. “I had half a mind not to sacrifice my own to save your traitorous kingdom. You have your daughter to thank for your life.”
The queen scowled at Nardan, and a wave of loathing slammed into Alra. I couldn’t tell if it came from the king or the queen, but its intensity nearly put my new friend on his knees.
Thunder echoed through the cavernous room, and the group turned as one toward the giant wooden doors behind them. The wood shuddered, and the stone frame cracked beneath the assault. Not thunder. Someone trying to break down the doors. Apprehension and determination filled the room, bolstering Alra’s frazzled nerves. The warriors were trying to convince themselves that they could defeat the attackers.
An eerie silence filled the room as the doors shuddered again, splintering the wood. Who was on the other side? The humans? It couldn’t be. The fae lived in different realms, realms the humans couldn’t reach. And the fae would never hide from humans.
A heaviness settled in my belly. Was Alra showing me the elder vampires’ attack? I didn’t think vampires could enter the fae realms, either. Any other attack would be pointless to see. Alra wouldn’t waste his time or mine with a fight between the fae, would he?
As the door shuddered again, my own fear and apprehension bubbled to the surface. Magic raced across my skin—Alra’s skin. Someone prepared spells for the intruders. Would they kill them? No, at least not Jack and Braden. Did the other elders die in this battle or did the fae hunt them down later? I guessed I was about to find out.
The doors heaved under the constant battering, then finally gave in to a stronger foe. Two men strolled through the gaping hole in full vampire form, and a collective intake of breath followed them. Shock and fear from the soldiers standing next to him trembled through Alra. The vampires’ resemblance to Ronquil and his father—even with fangs and claws—left no doubt as to who they were.
Jack and Braden appeared behind them, along with two more vampires. One looked a little like my father with his sandy hair and stout frame. The other was the same height and build but with long, dark hair. I already knew the elementals took two men from each of the three fae kingdoms. The last two had to be my family.
“Father, it’s so good to see you,” one of the Ronquil look-a-likes hissed between his fangs.
“I wish I could say the same, son,” Nardan said. “I will forever carry the guilt of your death in my heart.”
The vampire prince laughed, and a wave of sadness assaulted my poor training partner. He sunk to his knees amidst the crowd of warriors. I didn’t know how he lived with this ability. I could barely endure Braden’s emotions. Dealing with everyone all the time was almost unbearable.
“We are not dead,” Nardan’s son spat. “We’ve been given an astounding gift. One I’ll treasure for a very long time.”
Cries of outrage echoed through the room, and a man fell next to Alra. Surprise filled the warrior’s face, and blood poured from three long gashes in his throat. He gurgled twice, then fell still. Anger burned in Alra’s chest, and he sprang to his feet. His gaze swept across his fellow warriors, half of them already lying on the stone floor. Flickers of movement gave away the vampires’ darting attacks, but Alra’s sight wasn’t quick enough to follow them. The number of dying fae indicated he wasn’t the only one.
Sadness filled my own heart. Braden was one of the vampires creating this carnage.
Nardan’s bellow drew Alra’s gaze. The king’s sons had him pinned against the nearest wall, their long claws piercing his sides and pulling his feet off the floor. Alra roared with his king. The sword in his hand vibrated with an influx of magic, and I heard the spell whisper in his mind that would kill the two princes. Before he could finish the spell, another vampire slammed into him, rolling him across the thick red carpet.
“Alra,” Braden slurred. “No longer Captain of the Royal Guard?”
My vampire straddled my new training buddy, his long blond hair falling around the face I’d grown to love. He pinned Alra’s arms with his knees and thrust both sets of claws into the former captain’s shoulders.
Alra bit back his pain and spat at Braden. “At least I’m not a soulless monster,” he growled. “But you already were, even before… this.”
Braden laughed, slowly pulling his claws from Alra’s torn muscles. “Your sisters never seemed to mind, and neither did your betrothed.”
Disgust mingled with my sadness. Did Braden really sleep with Alra’s fiancé and his sisters? Obviously. And he had reveled in the pain it caused.
Rage fueled Alra’s strength, and he bucked his hips, trying to throw the vampire off him. It didn’t work. The fae wouldn’t win against a vampire’s strength. Braden drew back his claws then dug them into Alra’s ribs.
I screamed. “Braden, no! This is not who you are!”
Both men paused, staring at each other with a confused expression. Wariness drifted from Braden to Alra. Had they heard me cry out? No, I was a bystander in Alra’s memories. They couldn’t possibly be reacting to me.
“Brother! We have a queen to give our proper thanks.” Jack’s voice broke the moment, and Braden sneered.
“You’re lucky I’ve had enough blood for one day,” my vampire hissed.
A moment later he was gone, leaving behind a grievously wounded fae. Alra’s head snapped up, and I couldn’t miss the panic rushing through him. He searched the sea of bodies, finally resting his gaze on Nardan. Relief replaced his fear but was quickly swallowed by grief. Blood poured from the king’s wounds, but all Alra saw were the tears in Nardan’s eyes.
The Oceanic princes lay at Nardan’s feet, entangled in the roots that stole their hearts. I’d used the spell myself on a vampire. Relentless vines consumed their victim’s heart, then their body. Had Nardan used it on his sons, or had one of his soldiers done it for him?
The memory faded, and we returned to the flickering candlelight in my stone sanctuary. The dark, chilled room made me shiver. Or maybe the memory I’d just witnessed had something to do with it. Once again, I found myself gripping the stone bench beneath me as I tried to separate the past from the present.
Alra immediately pulled away from me and stood, running both hands over his head. The memories were more than I wanted to think about, especially Braden’s role. I’d already accepted Jack’s evil actions, but I didn’t want his stain on my vampire. I also couldn’t ignore it. So, I waited in silence, hoping Alra would address the elephant in the room. What kept Braden from killing him?
“Did he hear you?” Alra asked, pinning me with his dark eyes.
“I’m guessing you heard me scream at him to stop,” I replied, wanting to pull away from his pained expression but knowing I shouldn’t. There was more happening here than I realized. “Did it really happen that way? Did he spare your life because of my voice or because Jack interrupted him?”
“I don’t know.” He pulled his fingers through his hair again. “The memory is now… He’s never told you about that day, has he?”
I shook my head, not willing to press Alra about the memory. “I don’t think Braden remembers it. He remembers the fae hunting him and Jack, but nothing before then.”
“Lies!” Alra snapped. “How can he not recall the death they wrought on their own people?”
I hung my head and turned my back to him. Braden should never get those memories back, not now that he had a soul and the ability to feel guilt. It might break him. I had to believe he was a different person today than the monster I’d just witnessed.
I blew out a long sigh. I knew nothing about Braden’s life before I entered it. Believing he was a benevolent vampire was naïve.
Regardless, I couldn’t tell Alra how the elders were created. It wasn’t my secret to share. I wanted to defend Braden’s actions, but I’d seen his lust for blood and felt his joy over Alra’s pain. My vampire, the one I loved with every piece of my heart, and Alra had forced me to see a side of him I didn’t want to admit even existed.
“Why would you show me that memory?” I retorted, not answering his question. “There’s obviously a history between you and Braden. Are you trying to make me hate him?”
“How can you love him?”
I dropped my head into my palms. I wouldn’t have this conversation, not today. “Why that memory? What does it have to do with the fae losing favor with the elementals?”
I heard him move behind me, then the sound of metal shifting on my table. Was he picking a weapon to kill me? Surely he knew better. My elementals wouldn’t let that happen.
