Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Merrill swung his head to Katla . She had remained silent during the exchange with the Amazons . He glanced at their joined hands. He should release her, but his fingers refused to loosen. And she wasn’t pulling away.
“ What do you think?” Katla asked. “ Should we remain here if something is out there? It would be better than it coming after us while we traveled.”
He scanned the horizon. “ Maybe . Though nothing here would be sufficient protection. A strong wind could knock over the buildings. There are no trees or mountains. Just openness.”
“ Then fly us.”
Merrill hesitated before he met gray eyes that matched the tumultuous skies above him. Her words had been clear, but he still heard a slight wobble. She had spent decades hating dragons. Strong emotions like that didn’t recede with the flip of a switch. Katla knew he was a Dragon King , but being with him as a man versus seeing his true form was altogether different.
The thing was, he wanted to take to the skies. It was instinct to prove his might and power. Nothing more. But it could get her killed. He wouldn’t chance that.
“ If it is the entity, and it strikes, it’ll knock me unconscious. If we’re in the air, we’ll fall,” he told her.
Katla’s brow furrowed slightly. “ If it strikes you, you’ll be vulnerable. You shouldn’t remain.”
“ We shouldn’t,” he corrected.
She kept speaking, ignoring him. “ Call to Rhi . Get her to take you to Iron Hall .”
“ First , I’m no’ leaving you behind. Second , I doona run from a fight.”
“ Maybe you should. Your friends need you.”
He was acutely aware of the warmth of her hand in his. Her fingers were long and slim, her palm delicate. “ Doona be so bold as to think you can face this enemy alone. It battered Villette easily.”
“ Justice finds everyone. Perhaps it’s my turn. I always knew I would have to pay for what I’ve done. I had hoped to make some amends by executing Villette before then.”
“ Let me make this clear,” Merrill stated frankly. “ I’m no’ leaving you.”
She stared into his eyes for a long moment before sighing in resignation.
He nodded curtly. “ Now that that’s taken care of, I think we should continue on our journey.”
“ That has its own risks.”
“ There’s a risk in every decision. I’d rather get us to a place where we have something to shield us if we are attacked. I might no’ be able to see it, but it can no’ go through walls. And I’m no’ entirely convinced it is the entity. If it was, it would’ve already attacked me.”
Katla stuck her free hand in her coat pocket. “ All right, then. We’d better set out.”
Merrill released her as they turned and began their trek. He curled his hand into a fist, missing the feel of her already. She hadn’t indicated what she thought of his touch. Maybe she hadn’t even noticed. But he had. He didn’t think he would get the feeling of her hand in his out of his mind. Ever .
“ For beings who recently came to my world, you’ve encountered several races I didn’t know even existed,” Katla said.
“ I’m sure there are many, many more out there.”
“ What kind do you have on Earth ?”
Merrill glanced over his shoulder as they reached the edge of the ruins. There was nothing there. He looked forward. If he stared hard enough, he could make out the forest’s edge, but it was hours away. “ There are only three. Mortals —including the Druids — Kings , and the Fae . Verra few humans know of our existence.”
“ Because you walk among them looking as they do?”
“ Aye . The Fae are mistaken for humans all the time. There are ways to distinguish them that seem easy enough for me, but mortals doona always see it.”
Curiosity colored Katla’s words when she asked, “ Like what? Please , I want to learn.”
How could he deny her? “ There are two kinds of Fae . Rhi is a Light Fae . A royal Light Fae , actually. The Light all have the same coloring: black hair and silver eyes.”
“ All ?”
“ All ,” he reiterated. “ Every Fae is born a Light . They have to choose to become Dark .”
Katla glanced at him. “ I gather there are differences between the two?”
“ Indeed . The first deed of evil will turn a Dark’s eyes red. For each act after, silver streaks their black hair.”
“ Which means you can tell how amoral they are just by their hair.”
Merrill glanced up when a bird squawked overhead as it soared past. “ Exactly .”
“ If the mortals don’t mind seeing the Fae , then they should be okay with dragons.”
“ That might be true if the humans knew of the Fae .”
She made a sound in the back of her throat. “ They keep themselves secret, too?”
“ No ’ exactly. They look human, and it isna unusual for mortals on my world to color their hair different shades or wear contacts to change their eye color.”
“ That’s incredible.”
“ The Fae can also use glamour to change their appearance. It allows the Dark to disguise their coloring and look like anyone else.”
Katla wrinkled her nose. “ Then how do you know if you’re dealing with a Light or a Dark ?”
“ Humans can no’ see through their glamour, but we can. The Fae are highly sexualized creatures. Mortals are inexplicably drawn to them. One bedding by a Fae will ruin a human forever. The Light are no’ as bad as the Dark . The Dark feed off humans.”
“ Feed ?” she repeated in shock. “ How ?”
“ The mortals willingly have sex, and each time, the Dark drains their souls until there is nothing left but a husk of a body.”
She gaped at him in shock. “ And you allow them to walk your realm?”
He grunted. “ There were the Fae Wars . You see, the Fae decimated their realm with a civil war and then brought it to ours. We sided with the Light , which brought an end to the fighting, but there was nowhere for them to go. A treaty was formed, and the Fae opted to settle in Ireland , an isle no’ far from us. There have been issues throughout the years, but we’ve managed to contain them.”
“ How is it the humans remain unaware of you and the Fae ?”
He shrugged as they walked. “ Those who seek magic and magical things will find them. Those who close themselves off will never see them.”
“ Very similar to the humans on Zora , who are threatened by the rest of us.”
“ If you were no’ a Druid , would you accept those with abilities?”
Katla nibbled on her lip. “ That’s difficult to answer. We respected the dragons. They never ventured across the border to harm us. But we also feared them.”
“ Because of their magic?”
“ Because of their power and might.” Gray eyes briefly met his. “ Just as we feared and respected any flora or fauna with the ability to kill.”
He tilted his head to the side. “ I can understand that.”
“ I’d like to think my village would have welcomed anyone, regardless of whether they possessed magic or not. We were never tested, though. Saying that, I do understand those who are uneasy when someone with such power is near.”
“ Why ?”
She turned her head to him, lines of bewilderment coloring her visage. “ Those who have magic have the ability to kill.”
“ So do those without. And those mortals do it more ferociously and effortlessly than any others.”
“ That’s troubling.” Her eyes stayed trained forward, but her frown remained. “ I never saw that in my kind. Nonetheless , I can believe it.”
Merrill should’ve recognized that she would see herself in that light. “ I wasna referring to you. You’re nothing like that.”
“ You’ve not seen me when the rage takes over. Ask Henry and Melisse .”
“ I doona need to.”
Katla swallowed as she huddled deeper in the coat. “ I destroyed the tower.”
“ To protect the bairns and yourself.”
“ I wasn’t honest before. I did want to protect the children, but I also wanted to hurt Miena .” She shook her head slightly, her brow wrinkling. “ That’s not true. I wanted to kill her.”
Merrill heard the quiver of apprehension in her confession. She feared herself, what she might be capable of. He knew a wee bit about that. “ I saw you with the bairns. You would never have harmed them.”
“ I wish I was as sure.”
“ I know the rage you speak of. I fought my wrath while in Stonemore . I felt the residents’ repugnance for me and my kind. Their hostility and disdain for beings they knew nothing about. I thought about the humans we allowed to live on Earth and what it had brought to my clan. To all the clans. And each King . I thought about the freedom we lost. And like so many other times before, I wondered if we had made the right decision.”
Talking about it caused contempt to well within him. With that surge of emotion was violence that he seemed to constantly grapple with since coming to Zora . Merrill didn’t push those feelings away. They would only return with a vengeance. Instead , he sat with them for a few breaths, letting them swell before they began to ebb.
“ If the same decision came to us on Zora , I wouldna repeat our mistake,” he told Katla . “ Every day I was in Stonemore , I fought the need to scorch the city and everyone in it. I fight it still. It’s why I can no’ return to my brethren. No ’ until I have this resolved.”
“ And if you never get it resolved?” she asked.
Varek’s face rose in Merrill’s mind. His friend would only give him so long before searching him out. Merrill wanted to return to the Kings and take his place among them once more. He wanted to face the wrath within him and whatever else might arise. If he couldn’t, then he had no business being a King . “ That isna an option.”
The conversation ended then. They walked in companionable silence for the next few hours. Merrill remained alert. They were out in the open, easily visible to all. Yet he neither saw or sensed anything. It set him on edge because he couldn’t shake the knowledge that something was out there.
They paused briefly for lunch. Katla was deep in her thoughts, and he left her to them. She didn’t pry into his. He wouldn’t inquire about hers. Even though he was curious. They both carried a lot of guilt. It was a weight not easily set aside, especially when you held yourself responsible.
A frigid wind blew from the north as they set out again, causing Katla to nestle into the coat. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her glance at him a few times. He said nothing, waiting to see if she would speak. The forest drew closer. He picked up their pace so they’d reach the woods sooner.
Katla cleared her throat. “ Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?”
“ Ask away. I can no’ promise I’ll answer.”
“ Fair enough,” she murmured. Then , in a louder voice, said, “ Did any Kings lose their mates when you sent the dragons away?”
Merrill’s chest tightened. Of all the questions, this hadn’t been what he’d thought she might ask. He didn’t know how he continued walking. Somehow , he remained upright. Odd , since unimaginable sorrow cut through his entire body.
“ I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked,” she hurried to say.
He tried to find his voice and ended up shaking his head. He cleared his throat, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. She was waiting for him to say something. He had to form words. Finally , he got out, “ It isna something we talk about.”
“ Ever ?” she asked in a soft voice.
He shook his head again.
But maybe it was time.