Chapter Twenty-One
Asher
W e docked on the Western side of Isle Shifter, fae everywhere staring at the gold-accented ship that flew a flag bearing the fae sigil.
Each Isle had only one port. One legal place where they could come and go. A singular strip of the beach for exit—or escape. All four ports faced The Capital.
“Ready?” Sterling asked from my side. He held my hand in his, the two of us crowned in gold. We were a united pair, a happily married couple.
“Oh definitely. Cannot wait to be paraded around like a doll,” I answered, wiping my free hand on my skirts and probably staining them with my sweat. “Look, they even got us all dressed up.”
“So kind of them. Maybe they will also throw us a tea party and move our hands for us next.” Sterling’s hand gripped mine tighter, offering a squeeze of reassurance. No amount of joking could make this easier. I was finally about to see the realm I was raised to rule one day, and I did so while actively unsure if I was insane or just being lied to.
Every hour it seemed as if the former was the truth.
A flash of orange caught the corner of my eye, and then there she was. Mia towered over me, standing as tall as Sterling. She was a lean and foreboding sight, even her smile dazzling in the most horrifying way. Her ears came out to a point, parting her hair, and her eyes shone crystal blue in the light of day.
“Remember, we stay close together and maintain our smiles.” Mia paired her words with an even wider baring of her teeth. “That means you, Asher.”
Looking up at her, I proceeded to smile as widely as I could. Xavier came to her side, laughing lowly as he watched.
“That is absolutely terrifying. Maybe we should allow her to simply not frown or glare.” Sterling let out a soft chuckle at Xavier’s words, making Mia bristle and rage.
“You are all unbearable. Now walk off this dock and act like the royal family we are.” With that, Mia lifted her chin and began making her way to Isle Shifter. The three of us held awkward eye contact for a moment, none of us wanting to be the first to follow.
Xavier broke, scoffing and hurrying to take his place at her side. She did not speak, only lifted her hand. He offered his arm for her to grab, and the two of them descended the stairs that connected the dock to the beach. Sterling let out another chuckle before giving me his arm too.
“Well, sounds like it is time to party,” he whispered near my ear.
“Ah yes, so much fun to be had among those who either fear or worship me.” With one last huff of displeasure, I wrapped my hand around his arm and we followed the royals before us.
Luscious greenery surrounded the area, a bold blue sky above us. Fae were everywhere, all openly gawking our way. They stared on like we were beasts that might eat them. All except for one.
A male stood not far from the spot where Mia and Xavier stepped onto the wooden dock, eyes keen as he surveyed us. He styled his hair in two braids, the long coffee brown plaits disappearing behind his shoulders. He wore a vest the color of the foamy sea upon the shore, his dark brown arms visible. Tattoos swirled across his skin, patterns and zigzags cutting through here and there. They were as extraordinary as Shah’s, but the clean lines and cohesiveness seemed to be generational rather than personal. I tried to think back to if I had ever seen markings like that on a Shifter or any fae that traveled through Academy or the market. But I could not think of any.
My heeled shoes stuck in the sand as we walked, Mia not so much as stumbling in her own. She halted before a tall female with hair that acted as a dome around her head, the gorgeous curls so small that they were almost indistinguishable. She, too, had deep-colored skin, her smile broad as she bowed low in welcome. Her beige tunic and skirt split to reveal her navel when she straightened. It was almost scandalous here in Betovere.
How wonderfully normal it would have been in Eoforhild.
Something wrapped around my feet just as I stopped before the female, Wrath’s voice traveling up to my ear on a phantom wind.
“Still using false names, are you?”
I did not dare look down at him or respond with so many eyes on me. But I did allow my teeth to grind, the act making the pain in my head shoot down to my jaw and spine.
“Your Majesties. Your Highnesses. Isle Shifter welcomes you with great gratitude. We are honored to have the royal family upon our shores,” she beamed, clasping her hands together.
“Tasi, it is wonderful to see you once more.” Xavier practically hummed the words, mischief pouring off of him in waves. I watched with bewilderment as he stepped forward, grabbed her hand, and kissed her knuckles. Tasi stared at him with open desire, her bottom lip between her teeth as he held his mouth upon her skin for far longer than was necessary or proper.
“Yes, we do so enjoy visiting our many wardens,” Mia added, stepping into their space. Xavier released his hold on Tasi and nodded in agreement. “We are also proud to formally introduce you to Princess Asher Mounbetton, our daughter.”
Every fiber of my being seemed to will me to flee as those words came from her mouth. I did not run though, rather, I stared dumbfounded at the queen who had finally made her move. She was claiming me. Officially marking me as hers in preparation for ascending the throne. None of it made sense, not when she knew I was against her and uninterested in ruling as she did. Especially after all she had done to me this last year. I was volatile and determined to kill her, even if it meant my death too. Yet there she stood, arm outstretched to me and eyes glassy. Pride was shining on her face and pouring from her mind. It washed over me slowly, like sinking beneath the waters of a calm lake. A slow embrace of parental joy.
It was as if…as if she were telling the truth. As if none of it had happened. Like she thought I was still on her side, if not a bit confused from the magic that harmed me.
Eternity above.
“Yes, Strange One. You are finally seeing the truth of it all. That power of yours is showing its cards—rearing its ugly head.” Wrath’s deep and haunting voice seemed to echo off the sky itself. “As I said before, the price of such a gift is not your morality or the fear of others. The price of that power is your mind.”
I risked peering down at him where he sat to my right, his head just higher than my hip now. He looked so real.
They all had.
“Asher?” Mia inquired, her face pinching in worry. Oh, did it look so unfathomably real. The face of a mother who was concerned about her daughter.
I tried to picture Bellamy, to remember how real he had truly been. I had once told myself I would always remember the tiny things that made up who he was, that I would never forget. But now I feared I might have meticulously crafted him in my mind after meeting him atop that balcony. Could it be that a single kiss and a few moments of attention had sparked this descent in my sanity?
With Mia before me, her arm lowering and her body fully pivoting towards mine, I was faced with the very real possibility that I had made it all up. That I had been horribly wrong in it all. Would it be that unrealistic for my mind to work against me after so long of my magic—power?—tormenting others?
Blinking, I did my best to shake off the thoughts. Even if—gods forbid—I had made it all up, that did not change the truth of the matter. They had hurt me nearly my entire life. I was not bound to them or the duty they had forced upon me. I did, unfortunately, have a role to play in that moment.
“My apologies, it seems I am still a bit seasick. Please, forgive me, Warden Tasi. It is wonderful to meet you and to be here on your isle.” I offered her a dip of my chin, which she quickly returned with a deep curtsy. She must have been the warden of the Single Lands, as Theon held the position for the Multiples before he had died. Had he died? Had I killed him? Or had I made it all up?
“No apologies necessary, Your Highness. I do agree though, it is lovely to officially meet you. I had visited while you were on your sick bed to pray to Eternity beneath the stars with the other wardens not long before you awoke. Perhaps the King and Queen’s desire for help from above was the answer after all,” she said, her smile shrinking minutely.
Every hair on my body stood on edge as silence suddenly overtook the beach. Shifters loomed, fidgeting and whispering. My magic barreled into the newly built gate around my mind, barely keeping it contained to stifle the pain of using it. Something within my chest writhed—The Manipulator seeking a foothold.
“Something is very wrong,” I whispered to Sterling, tugging him farther into me as I stood straighter. “Stay close and keep your eyes ahead.”
“Well, are we ready to make our way to the carriages? My estate is not too far from here. I already have dinner prepared,” Tasi said, gesturing to the spot where the sand rose in the distance and wooden steps led to a grassy area. Beyond must have been the carriages. How I wished we were not about to be forced to ride in them like caged animals. To say I was surprised that Xavier was allowing this would be an understatement. I was on edge the entire walk forward.
Beyond the steps, trees with jagged and sharp leaves loomed. Towering mountains without a hint of snow dominated the far right of the landscape, and beautiful stone homes poked from between the lush greenery on the left. It was a vision as we grew nearer, birds fluttering the leaves and singing above. Tasi continued forward, the male from before with the tattoos now on her right. He was speaking softly but animatedly to her, his nerves projecting my way and once more rattling that lock on my mental gate.
The two carriages were simple and black, though as we got closer I saw that they had small etchings of different animals on them in the same color. Stunning brown and white spotted horses were already strapped in and ready to pull us to the warden’s home.
Despite my overwhelmed and slightly panicked mind, I did my best to breathe deeply and remain focused. I had to continue to believe it had all been real, to push forward and take down the royals.
But to do that, I had to remain free.
So I straightened my back and played the part I had been trained in my entire life.
Letting go of Sterling’s arm, I grabbed my skirts and walked to Mia’s side. She smiled at me softly, but her body was tense.
“Where is the warden of the Multiple Lands?” I inquired, trying my hardest to remain neutral on the subject.
“He died in a demon attack on the Golden Guard base here,” she whispered, her tone solemn. Ah, so the isle had been attacked. Another consistency with what I remembered, at least. “The demons become a bigger problem as the days go on. When we get home, you, Xavier, and I must accept the very real possibility that we will be in the center of a battlefield someday very soon.”
With that, she took Xavier’s hand and entered the second carriage, smiling at him as if he were her best friend. I remembered I once thought they were.
“Wife,” Sterling said, holding his hand out to me as he stood near the carriage door.
I rolled my eyes, leaning closer and hissing, “I am not your wife. Stop that.”
“Just maintaining appearances.” Shrugging, he let me put my hand in his and helped me into the carriage. When my skirts got caught, he chuckled and shoved his shoulder into me until I slipped through. Much to Mia’s dismay and Xavier’s amusement, I fell straight onto my hands and knees.
“Asher, please do not ruin your dress. My favorite seamstresses worked tirelessly through the night on your wardrobe for this trip,” Mia scolded.
Ignoring her, I stood and took my seat across from them, all the while imagining jamming my foot down her throat. Sterling must have noticed, because he giggled like a youngling at my side as the carriage took off.
“We are trapped in here,” I muttered, looking at Xavier. He sat straighter, eyeing me with a curious expression. But I could see that he too felt the unease of being in there. Vulnerable.
“This dinner is the first of eight. We must be strong in our convictions, our desires, and—most of all—our family.” Xavier and Sterling nodded, but all I could do was stare and picture the berries in my pocket. I wondered how many it would take to kill her.
Then, just as we began to move, the carriage halted, sending Sterling and I flying forward at the abrupt stop. Someone shouted from outside, followed closely by a piercing scream. The voice was a blade cutting through my plans, tearing my thoughts in half. A part of me thought this the perfect moment to catch Mia off guard, but the other half of me was stronger—the side that told me danger lurked beyond the carriage door and my fae needed me to help.
So, without a second of consideration for my own safety, I shoved through the door.
Blood caught my eye before anything else. It was already everywhere, coating the grass and trees and even the horses. A large group was fighting against guards clad in black armor and bearing the golden fae sigil. The fae attacking wore seemingly random clothes—normal ones, even. Plain tunics and trousers, nothing upon them matching except for one thing. Each wore a black cloth over their face, hiding all but their eyes. At the center of the cloth, right where their mouths would be, was the shining fae sigil…bleeding.
“Protect the princess from the rebels!” someone shouted from my right. A guard tried to jump in front of me, their sword clashing with one wielded by what I now knew to be a rebel. I ducked low, kicking my foot into the rebel’s knee. The Manipulator inside of me hummed with glee at the sound of the fae’s bone cracking in half. I wasted no time using my heel to stab into the rebel’s chest, picking up their sword and readying to fight.
“Asher!” Sterling’s voice cut through the screams and slicing of metal upon metal. I did not turn, did not do anything but dart forward towards a shrieking female holding her small youngling.
“Get out of here! Run!” I shouted to her. She did not move, appearing almost rooted in place. A growl tore up my chest as I saw what she was looking at. Before her in the grass was a male, his throat slit and eyes empty. She continued to sob, her youngling clinging to her.
Another rebel came at me mere feet from her, and I was forced to jump back before they could disembowel me. My sword was up in an instant, swinging towards the fae’s face. She dodged it, smirking at me. We circled one another, neither of us caring about the violence that surrounded us.
“You fight, that is not something we knew,” she said. All I could do was laugh, so disbelieving of what was happening.
They were killing our own. They were slaughtering innocents. Nothing was worth that. I would know, I had been a monster who did the same my entire life.
“Underestimating your enemy is a quick way to lose,” I offered. That seemed to strike her somewhere deep in her heart, because her smile fell and she let out a deep battle cry. Her first swing missed me entirely, but the second and third took an immense amount of strength to counter. She was strong, and I was sure she would shift soon if I kept blocking her strikes. So I went on the offensive, trying to remember all that the Trusted had taught me but mostly hearing Wrath’s voice as he called me insane.
First to draw blood was me, the very tip of my sword slicing through her forehead. She screamed in rage, trying and failing to return the favor. Out of nowhere, she turned and grabbed the crying female. I stilled, my eyes darting between them both. “Come with us, or I kill them.”
Her sword moved to the throat of the fae, her youngling wiggling in her arms and screaming so loudly it made my teeth rattle. My magic seemed to urge me to slaughter—to welcome the evil within me and disregard the innocents that would suffer too—but I was done with the purposeless bloodshed. Done with letting down those I had promised to serve. As the youngling cried out for their father, I let my mental gate open wide.
“ Release them,” I ordered. The rebel did as directed, delicious fear trickling down her like sweat. With that, I promptly kicked the Shifter in the chest and let my eyes roam over the fighting fae. “Be still!”
Everyone froze, eyes wide and heartbeats pounding in time with the horrid headache that already began to wear on me. Shouts of pain and cries of sorrow still rang out, but not a single fae moved. Not even Mia or Xavier, though their mental shields were up. Hiding from me.
Tossing the sword, I reached down and hoisted the female rebel up by her collar. She did not fight against me. Tears ran down her cheeks and her breathing was more of a gasping cry as she stared at me.
Anger clouded my heart, but my mind was momentarily clear.
“If you want to think me evil, then fine,” I shouted to the crowd of unnaturally still fae, listening as their fears of me coalesced in the air and kissed me in fond hello. “Call me a monster, a beast, a curse. I will gladly be your villain. But do not take out your anger with your rulers on the fae of this realm. For those who do will quickly learn why it is I who haunts your nightmares and looms within your waking thoughts.”
Because I knew the best way to prove how serious you were was to show the world, I threw the rebel to the ground and stomped my foot into her spine, shattering it at the neck. Screams could be heard from both sides, which I used to my advantage as I let my magic seep deeper into every mind near and weed out the traitors.
“You will all do well to remember this moment. No longer will the innocents die for the crimes of the wicked. If you have something to say about how this realm is run, then by all means, voice it. But, until then, those who wronged their own will pay.”
Silence was shattered by the sounds of bodies falling lifelessly to the ground.