Chapter Five
Asher
M alcolm stood beyond the bars, his body clad in Eoforhild blue—the blue of a realm he betrayed. How tragic, to know the love of a family and take it for granted in such a way. To let whatever greed ran through him taint his Ayad blood green.
Staring up into his black eyes now was like seeing the darkness that seemed to haunt us all, as if it had overrun him in his quest for more than he was given. His skin was dull, almost lifeless. His hair was cropped short, though I could tell by the way the curls laid on his cheeks and over his ears that he was in need of a trim.
“How are you feeling?” His soft tone took me by surprise, the genuine kindness coating the words like a slap across the face after his comment moments ago. With a furrow of his brow, Malcolm bent down, letting his elbows rest on his knees and his hands hang. “What is that face for, pretty little thing?”
An involuntary growl barreled through my teeth, rattling my bones and giving me the strength to sit up. Whatever they were poisoning me with had slowed my healing drastically, but that would not stop me from ripping apart the male before me.
“Apologies, scum, I cannot say I am as talented at hiding my feelings as I once was. Perhaps what you see upon my face right now is the utter disgust I feel at your nearness.” My words were more of a hiss than I intended them to be, and I felt that pang of heart-wrenching sadness at the realization that I sounded like a certain creature of death.
Sterling chuckled beside me, his sardonic humor an echo that momentarily left the three of us frozen in place. Malcolm was the first to break from the trance, his answered smack of the bars shaking my cell. His glare could have cut through flesh and bone, but it was not on me. No, he reserved the murderous look for the mortal prince to my left. When his gaze returned to me, it softened slightly, a sort of sadness there in his onyx irises.
I wanted to gouge them out and feed them to him for his utter audacity.
“Asher, there is no reason to be so hostile. Your mother will be coming soon, and it is important that you repent. Apologize for your crimes and then everything can go back to the way it was. That is all she wants.”
With a guttural cry of agony, I forced myself to my feet, that anger that had always simmered within me boiling over and masking the nausea that rolled through me from the blocker. “She is not my mother.”
Sterling’s hand reached out, trying and failing to grab hold of me. “Asher, do not—”
“Tell me, what sin have I committed? Was it when I finally opened my eyes and stood up to someone who has abused me for centuries? Was it when I decided that the murder of innocents was not worth the power of a crown upon my head?” I flashed the demon before me a smile, the baring of my teeth a menacing and feral look. On shaky legs I walked towards Malcolm, grabbing the bars and staring up at him with all the hatred of a world held prisoner. “Or is my apology supposed to be for my traitorous ways? Will you get on your knees and apologize to your father? Will you repent for the great atrocities committed by your hand? Will you visit the grave of the demons you slaughtered? How does their blood feel upon your hands, Prince Malcolm Ayad?”
All semblance of kindness left his face then, fury furrowing his brow and tightening his lips. His hand shot through the bars, grabbing my throat just below the blocker and lifting me. I gagged, choking on the way air tried to dig down my throat with no success. My fingers rose, desperately clawing at his grip on my neck.
“Let her go!” Sterling screamed, the sound of him rattling the bars between us fading as my vision speckled with black.
“You know nothing about what I do for my blood. But I promise you will, Asher,” he seethed, the threat so ridiculous that I could not stop the strained chuckles that begged for freedom of my chest. My crackling laughter split the tension, or maybe it doubled it. In his surprise, Malcolm loosened his grip, and I greedily took the chance.
“Would it not be funny if I died here before I could do your queen’s bidding and finally make your miserable existence mean something?” I asked between laughs. And then I was thrown to the ground. I landed hard on my right hip, my body crumpling as I bit down a scream of pain. With a smile far stronger than I felt, I looked up at the mortal prince beyond my iron bars. “I think I struck a nerve.”
For a moment he merely stared at me in horror, but then, as if he could not help himself, Sterling smiled back. “Yes, well, perhaps we can keep score.”
We burst into laughter at that, neither of us quite caring about our empty stomachs or our bruised bodies as we leaned towards the bars that separated us. Malcolm seethed from beyond, clearly not enjoying our comradery. That, or he was irritated by just how right I was.
All I could do was continue laughing, my head lulling forward and my throat burning. It was odd to care so little about my current predicament. For once in my pathetic life, I was not worried about how my actions—or in this case, lack thereof—would affect the world or the realm or those around me. Stress and anxiety did not consume me at the mere thought of the inevitably disastrous future. Maybe it was my faith in Bellamy’s ability to save the world, or it could have been the fact that this heavy life might finally end. Whatever it was, I relished in this newfound liberty.
Though I knew I was never normal, feeling more free than I ever had whilst behind bars was a new version of strange.
“Well, at least I can confirm you still have your fire.” That deep and warm voice was enough to silence me once more. With a gasp, I turned back towards Malcolm, my eyes catching on the approaching figure just beyond him. “Leave them be, Malcolm. I will be taking Ash anyways.”
Xavier approached my iron cage with all the grace of a warrior—his presence that of a sharpened blade ready to cut through pride and joy and hope. As formidable as ever, the fae king stood tall and firm, his dark black waves kissing his shoulder and his golden crown of fire resting atop his head. As always, he was dressed in head-to-toe gold, the silk loose around his strong physique and clashing with his pale skin. He had grown out his facial hair, the bottom half of his face now covered in dark stubble. Dark eyes bore into me, watching as I assessed him with what looked almost like despair. I would believe it if I did not know better, but—unfortunately for him—I had learned in my time away.
Even more surprising than Xavier’s appearance in the dungeons was Malcolm’s response to the king. From my spot on the ground of my cell I could just make out the sound of his teeth grinding. His brow was furrowed and his eyes squinted, his square jaw clenched just as his fists were. He seemed…on edge.
“I said, leave them be,” Xavier ordered, his voice a booming demand that echoed across the stone all around us. To my utter bafflement, the demon did not portal away. Instead, he turned to his left, looking down upon the king before him with enough fury that even my tempered magic could sense it.
“You will do well to remember what is yours and what is mine.” Then, as if Xavier’s response would be of little consequence, Malcolm turned to face me once more. A desperation remained dormant in his gaze, one that made the hairs on my neck rise. “Apologize to your mother, Asher.”
With that, the demon disappeared into smoky shadows. Xavier let out a furious growl, swatting at the shadows with his hands as if the action would somehow hurt Malcolm. When the tendrils of Moon magic finally faded, the king approached my cell door. A scream begged for freedom within my chest at the sight. Once, Xavier had been my role model. Like Sterling had said, I used to look at my father-figure as the most extraordinary being in the entire world. More than my desire to please them both was my wish to be them. Now I would rather die than become the nightmares they were.
“Ash, I have missed you so much. Come, we are going to get this whole situation sorted out,” he assured. I watched in disgust as he smiled widely at me, a single dimple showing on his cheek that made me grind my teeth.
He was Bellamy’s f ather. After two hundred years of being ridden with guilt for surviving an attack their son did not, it was jarring to say the least knowing what I did now. And heartbreaking. Not only had they abused me and lied to me my entire life, but they also willingly let me suffer in the pain of survivor’s guilt. They did not consider how anything they did would affect me. Not to mention how little regard they showed their son.
Perhaps the me of a year ago would have blamed Bellamy too. Maybe I would have felt anger at his lies and careful truths. But after everything I had been through, I could not bring myself to do anything but love him. He might not have been raised by the king and queen, but even in the short time they had called him theirs, they had harmed him in unspeakable ways.
If it was the last thing I did, I would give him vengeance. I would end the beings who dared treat him with such disregard.
“I am not going anywhere with you,” I seethed at Xavier as he pulled a set of iron keys from his pocket. The clinking sound of them smacking into one another made my head pound, and my back still cried out in pain from careless movements. Sterling shuffled to my left, his trousers scraping against the stone beneath us as he scooted closer to our shared bars.
Ignoring me completely, Xavier slid one of the keys into the lock and turned it, pulling open the cell door with a great groan of protest from the iron. Though his smile had fallen, there was still far too much hope within his dark brown eyes. He approached me slowly, his hands raised. “All I want is to speak with you. Just let me get you out of here. I have some clean clothes for you, and Mia awaits us. Please, Ash. Come with me and make this easier on us all.”
With that, he reached out a hand, a slight tremble to his fingers. As if he really cared. What a ridiculous act. On instinct, I slapped it away, letting out a low growl. “Get your hands away from me.”
“You better listen to her, or so help me I wi—”
“You will what, mortal? Threaten me with more words? Perhaps insult my cock? I think I will survive,” Xavier said, cutting off Sterling’s threat. Then, like I was nothing but an insolent youngling, the king grabbed my bicep and lifted me. I slammed my fist into his chest, my back burning and my body aching as he dragged me out of my cell. Sterling screamed from behind us, pounding on the cell bars. In one last-ditch effort, I tried to use my magic. The attempt sent piercing waves of pain through me. “Stop fighting me, Ash.”
With that, I promptly dove forward, slamming my head into his. The move must have been Xavier’s last straw, because, with a furious shout, he turned and smashed his fist into my face.
***
“She has been asleep for far too long, Tish!” The shouts came from a melodic voice I knew all too well. Mia was close by, her tone full of worry making me want to cut out her tongue. But when I tried to move my hands, I found myself unable to do so. They had shackled me.
“No, she is awake, actually,” Tish whispered, her voice broken and shaky. Never before had I heard her sound so horribly ill, but I could not bring myself to care when I knew just how much she had aided in not only my own pain, but Sterling’s as well. “Asher, you need to be careful. You are healed, but I was only able to do so much in my…state. If you are not careful, you can hurt yourself further.”
With that, I felt a small, cold hand tap my arm and then heard the sound of retreating footsteps. I strained my ears, trying to determine just how many others were nearby. Two sets of breathing, so offbeat from one another that it had to be Mia and Xavier, sounded nearby. How had I ever believed that they were a good team? A united pair? It was clear now just how impossibly na?ve I had been.
“Asher, are you really awake?” Xavier’s deep voice boomed, making the question sound far more like a demand. I remained still, wishing that they would simply leave me in the dungeons to rot rather than subject me to their presence.
“Of course she is awake, you idiot.” Another set of cold fingers, these ones clammy and thin, met my skin. Every ounce of my willpower was still not enough to stop me from cringing at the way Mia caressed my cheek—ever the doting mother.
Fake, all of it. I had never once allowed myself to imagine a day that I would be faced with the chilling reality of Mia’s utter detachment. How could someone pretend day in and day out to care for another while secretly harboring the belief that the one they faked affection for was a tool to them? I was a means to an end, a shovel to dig the dirt of her garden so she may plant more beautiful flowers.
“Do not touch me,” I hissed, finally allowing my eyes to open. The light of Xavier’s fire burned as I adjusted to the sight around me. The walls were gray, similar to my low level room though we were not there. This area was larger and absent of the jagged symbols that marked my room. The only beings I could see were the royals.
Mia and Xavier said they loved me for two centuries, and now there they stood, looking down upon my chained body. As if I were nothing but a pet who had acted out. Pointless was the denial of such a thing.
“Asher, you need to calm down. We are only trying to set things right.” Xavier’s tone was soothing, just as it always had been post punishment. When I was blamed for the pain and agony and self-hatred they had bestowed upon me.
“Can you for one moment simply shut your ridiculous mouth so that I can get done what must be done?” Mia asked, her teeth bared in a snarl. Xavier puffed his chest, golden silk stretching across his muscled torso. His black waves still hung loose, his dark eyes glaring at his wife as if he could end her with a stare. She huffed, turning to face me. I stared into those icy blue eyes, hating myself for not knowing who Bellamy truly was. For not guessing, at least. “You will stop this nonsense immediately. Punishment has been doled out, and now we must once more unite for our realm. This is not a game, Asher. You are all that stands between us and the demons. You might think them good and just, but all you know is what they have spun, what they have—”
“How dare you!” I shouted, thrashing against the chains upon my ankles and wrists, my head smacking into the table below me. “You lay me out like a body within a morgue, chain me like a beast, and speak to me as if I am a youngling no more than five! But I know what lies you have woven, I know the truth you desire to keep hidden. Do not for one moment think anything but death will stop me from fighting you.”
Rage clouded Mia’s eyes and pinched her face. Then her hand soared down, striking my cheek and ear. The impact was so forceful that my head whipped to the right, slamming into the table. I bit back the scream that barged up my throat and into my teeth, a ring sounding in my ear that made me dizzy.
“How dare you! I am all you have in this world—practically your mother. You will do as I say because that is the duty of a daughter. That is the duty of a princess!”
“The moment you release me I will tear your filthy black heart from your chest, you bitch!”
“Then you can remain chained for the rest of your life! If you want to fight, my flower , we will fight. But I will win, and I will show you fear like you have never known.” Her words were a threat, but I could not summon that terror she used to bring out of me.
There was no hesitation in my eerie smile, my magic a distant hum in my veins despite the blocker and the poison I knew had to be within my system once more. With a light chuckle, I looked up into her eyes and spoke the words I knew she so wished I would never utter—the one thing she begged I might never realize. “I do not fear. I am the thing to fear.”
Xavier’s answering gasp was made all the sweeter by Mia’s slight stumble as she backed away from me. Finally, after two centuries, I had discovered just how powerful I was. And I would not let them treat me like a weapon when I could now wield myself.
After a few moments of silence that seemed filled with charged energy, Mia finally cleared her throat and spoke through clenched teeth. “You think yourself invincible now that you have bore witness to life outside these walls of safety, but I promise you this: the world does not offer kindness to the ignorant. And neither do I.”