King of Fire and Flames (Courts of the Star Fae Realms #2)

Chapter 29

Leaf

The moment I arrived, the khareek lurched up from the depths of the moat as if they’d been waiting for me to wander by.

“A lovely liar comes,” one said, its flaming body shivering with anticipation.

The three creatures sniffed the air, swinging their heads around and searching for me.

“Oh, sorry. I forgot I was still invisible.” I flipped Estella’s pendant to the outside of my tunic and stepped closer to the moat.

Sparks showered me as the khareek leaned down and inspected the jewel. One of their arms broke off, landing on the path beside me in a mound of flames.

“That necklace belongs to the Night Queen,” said the creature, its limb already reforming as it nudged one of its companions.

“No, the necklace is mine,” I lied, smiling in what I hoped was a charming manner. “It always has been.”

Laughter crackled. “Two lies,” they shrieked. “So sweet. So tasty.”

“Why did you call Estella the Night Queen? Surely she’s the Queen of Fire.”

“To us, she will always be the Queen of Night and Stars. Cosmic Witch. Mother of All Time and Warden of All That is Good, tethered to this realm by her love for an unworthy child.”

“That’s quite a title,” I said.

“You are eager to enter the moat,” said the fire creature, extending its hand toward the churning lava. “Balance must be restored. Release the Storm King, and then let no being in the realms live under tyranny. Go quickly.”

A staircase materialized before my eyes, the steps disappearing beneath the fiery water. “You mean I have to actually walk under the moat?”

“It’s the only entrance to the dungeon. Do you trust us?”

“Oh, of course I do,” I said, stepping onto the edge of the moat.

“Another lie,” they cackled, licking their bubbling lips. “This human feeds us well.”

“When I go down there, I hope I don’t get burned alive and turned into a khareek. No offense.”

Making no reassuring comments, the khareek moved aside as I took a deep breath, held it in my lungs, and began my descent.

Wet warmth rushed over my body, but I felt no pain, and could breathe and see clearly under the fire water. The khareek swam in circles above the staircase balustrade, their bodies entirely transformed.

They reminded me of the Ice Realm’s water sprites from books that I’d read as a child, two females and one male, their sleek, angular forms shining with a cold, beautiful light.

The stairs spiraled past two empty landings, the third one leading to a door that opened smoothly into an air-filled chamber as I approached. I took a long breath of stale air, relieved to be out of the moat.

Another door revealed a long, torch-lit corridor, where two dark-marble statues stood guard. Dressed in Fire Court armor and holding long spears of gold, only their black eyes showed signs of life, moving from side to side and scanning their surroundings.

Making sure Estella’s pendant touched my skin, I strolled straight past the creepy, spellbound guards and into a rectangular room, the right side of it lined with bars. Both relief and terror surged through me as I spotted Raiden, Zaret, and Esen inside the first cell. But no Arrow.

Was he even alive?

A quick inspection of the cell revealed a water pipe on the back wall, a single canvas bed, a pile of blankets, and a bucket in the corner. Even if the fire fae improved the lighting and added two more beds, the living conditions would still be dire.

Esen slept on the stretcher, with Zaret curled on the stone floor nearby. Only Raiden was awake, sitting with his arms wrapped around his knees, glaring at his boots.

“Raiden,” I hissed, tucking the pendant over my tunic, becoming visible again. “It’s me.”

“Leaf!” He lurched up and clutched the bars. “I’ve never been so happy to see anyone.”

“Except maybe the Sayeeda,” I corrected.

Even in the dim light, I saw his cheeks darken.

“Are you all right?” I whispered. “Where’s Arrow?”

“Three cells along. They’ve done something… I don’t know… unpleasant to him. Those fucking statue guards came down, and since then, he’s stopped talking to us.”

“ Shit . Do you think the guards can hear us?”

“Doubt it. We’ve tried yelling to find out, but they only came down twice. Once to deliver food and another time to… do something to Arrow that didn’t sound good.”

I closed my eyes for a moment and steadied my breathing. “Estella has a plan to get you out of this shithole. And hopefully, out of the Sun Realm.”

“Thank fuck. Please, tell her to hurry.”

“Tomorrow night. Not long past nine o’clock, your powers should return.”

His dark eyes widened. “How?”

“I haven’t got time to explain it twice. I’ll tell Arrow. Just be ready, Raiden.”

“We will be. Good luck.”

I shoved my hands through the bars, squeezed his face, and kissed his cheek, my gaze falling on Esen and Zaret, still sleeping. “Are they all right?”

“Yes. They fought like trolls earlier today, so Azarn’s guards put a sleeping spell on them. Said it would wear off soon.”

I gave Raiden what I hoped was a comforting smile over my shoulder, then hurried to Arrow’s cell, gasping when I peered through the bars.

Slumped against the back wall, the Storm King was fast asleep. Or dead. If they’d killed him, I vowed I would murder Azarn with my bare hands, regardless of the consequences.

The cell contained no bucket, blankets, or even a stretcher bed, and the only sounds were the drip, drip, drip of a water pipe and Arrow’s soft moans.

Wait… he was alive!

Dark wings spread out, dirty and limp on the floor. He lay on his side with his head resting on his chained hands, fingers from one hand shielding his eyes, like a sleeping child.

My heart pummeled against my ribs. “Arrow, wake up,” I shouted.

Slowly, his head rose, and unfocused steel-gray eyes scanned my body, their usual silver glow extinguished. “Leaf?” he slurred.

“Yes! Yes, it’s me. I need you to concentrate. Can you move?”

“Think so.” With his wingtips dragging along the wet floor, he slowly pushed onto his feet, then stumbled toward me.

Dark-gold hair clung to his damp cheeks as he leaned into the bars and pressed his face to mine like a caged lion begging for a pat. I squeezed his shoulders, ran my hands down his biceps before reaching down and tugging the cuffs around his wrists. Naked from the waist up, bruises bloomed over his skin, his feather glyphs faintly pulsing, activated by my touch.

I gripped his face and pressed soft kisses on his cheeks. “What have they done to you?”

“Just dished out an unhealthy serving of Fire Court hospitality. I’ll be fine. Azarn needs me alive. How did you get in here?”

With a grin, I flipped the pendant in and out of my tunic, disappearing then reappearing.

“Estella gave that to you?” he whispered.

“Yes. Now listen closely. We don’t have much time. She’s arranging my wedding for… for tomorrow night.”

“What the fuck ? No!”

“It’s the only way. We have a plan. Just be quiet and listen. The ceremony will begin at nine o’clock. Sun Realm marriages include approximately half an hour of preamble. Poems and songs. As close to nine o’clock as possible, Estella will hold Nukala under water for about twenty minutes. During this time, Melaya’s power will be disrupted, the block on your magic released. Blow the cells up, do whatever you must to get the hells out of here fast.”

I pulled orchid petals from my pocket. “Rub one of these on your skin, over your heart is best, then hurry to the hall so I don’t end up married to Bakhur.”

As I tucked the petals deep into the pocket of his leathers, a filthy laugh rumbled from his chest, causing bumps to erupt over my skin. “Be careful, Leaf,” he said. “There’s still life in me yet.”

“Not much you can do through these bars, big fella.”

“Try me.” He nodded at the bulges in my tunic. “What have you got there?”

“A present for you. Persimmons.”

His eyebrows twisted into a hard scowl.

“Only two of them. They were all I could find in the kitchen. But they’ll help strengthen your magic, right?”

The Storm King made a gagging sound. “Yeah, but I hate the damn things.”

“I know. Sorry.”

I held a persimmon up to the bars, and he bit into it. “The things I do for love.”

“And also for your kingdom. For all five kingdoms, in fact,” I said, stifling a laugh as he chewed the fruit like it was full of bitter poison.

Bending, I reached inside his cell and placed the second persimmon on the floor near the side wall, where I hoped the guards wouldn’t notice it.

“Eat some more,” I said, raising the first fruit to the bars again.

A single brow arched. “Kiss me, and then I will.”

I peppered his face with kisses, the last one lingering on his lips before I stepped backward.

“ Leaf . Come on,” he rumbled. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Promise me you’ll eat the other one as soon as your hands are free.”

“Say you love me, and I will. Tell me at least once. I need to hear you say it before I die.”

“Oh, Arrow, I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”

He groaned, a bead of sweat tracing the sharp curve of his cheekbone. “And I’m begging you to have mercy. After all, you may never have the pleasure of seeing me again.”

I clicked my tongue. “Arrogant right up to the end.”

“The end?” His pupils flared. “You just promised to get us out of here.”

I scanned his wonderful, maddening face, holding it between my palms, then kissing him through the bars whisper soft. “Although I’ve tried countless times to rip you from my heart, I admit defeat. Arrowyn Ramiel, I will love you, adore you, and long for you with each beat of my heart through this life and the next.”

A dopey smile spread over his face.

“Does that satisfy you?” I asked.

“If you say it again, it will do for now.”

“Leaf, you should leave while you still can.” Raiden’s voice hissed along the dim corridor as I pressed another kiss to the Storm King’s lips. “The magic in the dungeons is fucked up. Anything could happen.”

“All right. I’m going,” I shouted over my shoulder, then grabbed the points of Arrow’s ears and tugged him closer, breathing a promise over his lips. “I love you. Always and forever. Please forgive me for ever doubting your loyalty.”

“I’ll forgive you for any mistake or deed as long as you’re mine and I am yours.”

“I’d better go, but I’ll see you tomorrow night. Please don’t be late, and make sure you eat that last persimmon the moment you break free of the chains.”

“Fine. I’ll think of you with every bite.”

Dragging my eyes from the heart-wrenching sight of the Storm King in chains, I forced myself to turn away and leave the dungeon, not stopping as I passed the inanimate guards.

The khareek led me through the fire water and out of the moat, then I hurried toward the palace and sneaked into the chamber next to Azarn’s, where I hoped he was keeping the Sayeeda.

Entering the room, I found Ari in a meditation pose, cross-legged in front of the large windows that overlooked the palace’s tallest spires set aglow by a burnt-orange sunset.

“Ari,” I whispered, not wanting to startle her. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I need to speak with you about—”

“Estella has already shared the plan with me.”

“Do you think it will work?”

“It must. It’s our only option.”

I sat beside her on the red alnarah rug, the wool soft between my fingers. She squinted at my hair, a mass of unraveling braids, ran her fingers over the shorter side, then brushed dirt off my tunic. Other than a bit of filth, the lava water had left no mark on me.

“I’ve been in the cells below the moat. Arrow is weak, but he and Raiden are ready for tomorrow. I gave him persimmons.”

Ari laughed. “Oh, he must’ve been thrilled by such a gift. The effect of the fruit on his powers will be minimal, but it will help him heal faster from the beating Azarn said his guards had inflicted. As soon as Melaya’s power is disabled, Arrow’s strength will return. Do not worry about him. We must beg the gods to help Estella subdue Nukala.”

“So, let’s say she succeeds… picture me standing beside Bakhur, Sun Realm rituals droning on as our friends burst into the hall. We’ll draw our reaver cloaks around us, remove the mergelyn anklets, and then what happens? Will Arrow turn the hall to dust, like he did with Gorbinvar’s smithy?”

“And kill hundreds of innocents, perhaps including us, destroying Taln in the process? No, the Fire Court must stand. Unfortunately, we cannot know in advance who will attend the ceremony or their positions during it. Our best chance is to target Azarn, Bakhur, and Melaya, then fight like the existence of the realms depends upon us winning.”

Because in truth, it likely did.

If Azarn controlled Arrow and then the gold trade through me, life for the fae of the realms would become extremely unpleasant. We had to win. There was no other option.

Ari embraced me tightly, insisting I get a good night’s sleep—an impossible task—before sending me back to my chamber to meet the court’s royal cloth workers.

They dressed me in a black gown featuring a neckline that plunged to my stomach and a long, flared skirt with slits reaching my thighs. Sheer fabric adorned with white gemstones, shimmering in rainbow hues with each step, covered my chest and arms.

The red flames and golden birds embroidered on the main part of the gown no doubt symbolized that the Sun Realm claimed ownership of me—the Earth Realm Princess with reaver blood flowing through my veins—and all of the Light Realm’s gold.

But tomorrow, we would not fail. We couldn’t fail.

Azarn and Melaya were finished, doomed. We would defeat them.

I whispered those words like a mantra, a spell, praying that if I chanted them hard enough, my fervent wishes would come true.

The image of Arrow, weak and in chains, kept plaguing me, and I thumped my forehead against the wall three times before resolving to channel my fear more productively.

Instead of resting, I spent most of the night practicing sword strikes with a broken broom handle. A poor excuse for a weapon, but wielding it soothed my anxiety.

The last thing I wanted was to toss and turn for hours in bed, mulling over my fate. Because if we failed tomorrow night, I’d be married to Bakhur, and the only man I had ever loved would be dead.

Or worse , I thought. A horrific image flashed through my mind—the Storm King hanging helpless over the Sentura Pyre.