Chapter 11
Twice now I’d spent the night with Hydris. Ending days with him was so relaxing that I was sleeping better than I had since I fell into this world. Starting my days with him put a pep in my step that caffeine couldn’t compete with. I absolutely wanted that to be our routine from now on.
He’d asked me to join him at the pool tonight, the one where we’d first met, and I couldn’t wait for the day to end so we might go swimming together.
I was going to ask him to show me more things he could do with his water powers, too.
I had a feeling he was far more powerful than he thought he was.
And I was so lost in thought about all of that, I didn’t notice two guards were even standing behind me until one of them grabbed my arm.
“Lord Mannix demands your presence,” the guard said like he was trying to sound way more badass than he was.
I tried to shake him off. “I’m busy. His lordship is going to have to wait.”
“Lord Mannix doesn’t wait.”
“I have to let my boss know where I’m going.” In truth, I wanted to find anyone who could get a message to Hydris.
I couldn’t get the guard’s hand off of me, so I dug my fingernail into his wrist. He grunted and released me, but then the other guard was there.
In seconds, they had me against a wall and my arms bound behind my back with rope.
And now it felt a lot worse and way more serious than the last time Mannix had wanted a word.
The guards marched me into the palace. We passed several staff members, and I met their gazes and let them see my worry.
There was a lot of whispering in our wake.
Hopefully, some of them would tell others, maybe one or two would seek out Hydris and let him know what was happening.
I didn’t necessarily think he would need to save me, but I did want him to know something was going on.
When we walked into the throne room, I frowned to see a table laid out with a map and those little models that represented troops and other assets.
One of the models looked like those huge devices that would throw boulders at castles in medieval movies.
Everything was pointed at… Was Mannix planning to attack the Summer barrier?
While I could get behind wanting it to come down, I’d seen some of the after effects of how the barrier defended itself. I wouldn’t put it past the thing to send boulders right back at them or create a sinkhole underneath the whole device and anyone operating it. RIP, Dumpling.
“That won’t work, you know,” I said as the guards planted me behind Mannix. “The barrier reacts to attempts to breach it.”
Without turning around, he asked, “What have you been doing with the prince?”
I knew what he meant and he could fuck right off. “We went to the barrier with Winter and saw a sentient lake try to kill two people. I can only imagine what it’ll do if you send—”
“I’ve had several reports of inappropriate behavior at an inn, along the road, in the gardens, and I myself witnessed you leaving His Highness’s chambers this morning.” He turned around all dramatic, a severe frown on his face. “What have you been doing with the prince?”
I clicked my tongue at him and made a sad face. “Oh, I’m so sorry no one’s ever been moved to do anything ‘inappropriate’ with you. It’s probably because you’re such a prick. But, see, when two people are wildly attracted to each other, they’ll often find anywhere is a good place to fuck.”
That touched a nerve. I could see it in the way his nostrils flared and he clenched his jaw. Was this jealousy? Or was it something to do with—
“Members of this court will maintain the traditions of the past by only fraternizing with fae of appropriate rank and breeding.” Mannix looked me up and down and sneered. “Humans are inferior in every aspect.”
“You piece of shit!” I wanted to punch him and tugged at my hands, trying to free them. “Hydris chose me and he’s become a better person for knowing me. What have you done to help him? Nothing!”
“I run his court,” he said like this conversation was boring him. He turned back to his battle plans. “You’re forbidden from interacting with the prince in the future.”
“Oh, fuck that. Hydris is the only one who can tell me—”
I was cut off by someone coming up behind me and shoving a gag in my mouth.
It was cloth with a knot tied in the center of it that jammed my mouth open as they tied the gag behind my head.
My anger spiked into rage as fear sizzled inside me now.
Bound and silenced, all I could do was thrash until the guards held me still.
“My lord,” a blonde woman said as she approached, “if I may—”
“You may not.”
“Mannix,” she said with exasperation, “certainly you can see that no harm is being done by the prince taking a lover. Many of us have before him. Rank has never mattered to—”
“Lady Naunet,” Mannix snapped, “your services are no longer needed by this court. You have until noon to remove yourself from the palace.”
Gasps echoed around the room. I remembered Hydris saying Naunet was one of the people who’d tried to help him lead. Now Mannix was getting rid of her. It was clearly a shock to her based on her expression and how she seemed frozen where she stood.
“My lord,” a blond man said, “you cannot dismiss Lady Naunet. She oversees the food distribution and child welfare services. Her knowledge and skill is—”
“Easily replaced,” Mannix said, his tone really starting to grate on my nerves. “Lady Anezka, you’re a female. Take over those services.”
A brunette with a thin nose and square jaw gasped. “How dare you? My gender has nothing to do with—”
“Then we will discontinue both. Lord Ottokar, send the children to the barrier with Winter to dig a trench to remove the water.”
“No!” The blond man, Ottokar, stepped forward. “You cannot do this, Mannix. You know as well as any of us that the water will kill them.” He pointed at me. “Just like Mister Flint said.”
“You are also dismissed,” Mannix said without even glancing at Ottokar. “And you can take your horse handler with you.”
He meant Sarosh. Mannix was burning the court to the ground, one prejudice at a time.
“Enough!”
I flinched right along with the guards holding me at the volume of that yell.
But then I realized I hadn’t flinched—Hydris had me immobilized with his water powers.
And everyone else, too? A moment later, and he must’ve released us because I was able to relax again.
Or be as relaxed as I could now that the confrontation we’d been practicing for was actually happening.
Hydris walked around until he was standing in front of me. His eyes were huge, there was color on his cheeks, and the flowers on top of his head trembled just enough to notice.
“Re-release him,” he said to the guards holding me.
They looked over his head to Mannix.
“Don’t look at him! I-I say what you do.”
“Your Highness,” Mannix said as the guards started freeing me, “these are matters that don’t require your input. Why not take a walk through the gardens until I’m finished?”
I bit down on the gag, desperately wanting to tell that fucker off for talking to Hydris like that. But then I didn’t have to. My god, Hydris was doing it.
“You’re the one who…who is dismissed, M-Mannix.” Hydris gulped but held his head higher, doing that thing where he looked down his nose at someone taller than him. “You’ve overstepped for the last time, and I have no choice but to remove you from service.”
With my hands finally unbound, I tore the gag off my head and moved to stand behind Hydris as Mannix smiled. The show of teeth sent a shiver down my spine, so I desperately hoped Hydris could stay strong in the face of it.
“I’m dismissed?” Mannix asked. “You’re dismissing the one person who has held this court together despite your extensive list of shortcomings? I’ve carried you through wars and this damned curse that happened because you are so incredibly weak!”
Hydris took a step back, bumping into me. I couldn’t really blame him. Mannix was looking manic now. But I put a hand on Hydris’s shoulder and hoped he knew I believed in him.
The air in the room rippled. I couldn’t describe it better than it feeling like someone had dropped a pebble into a pond and we’d gotten bumped by the waves. Hydris raised an arm, and Mannix snapped straight as a board and rose off the floor.
It was Mannix’s turn to be scared.
“While I appreciate the services you have performed in the past,” Hydris said in a quiet, controlled voice, “you have taxed my people far more than is required, you plan to sacrifice them in an attempt to break through the barrier, and you wish our first act should freedom happen to be one of war. None of those decisions are yours to make. I will not allow you to continue.”
Hydris lowered his arm, and Mannix touched the floor again. But the instant Mannix was free to move on his own again, he bent and removed a dagger from his boot.
I put an arm over Hydris’s shoulder to haul him back as I tried to get him out of reach. Others hollered and lunged, trying to stop Mannix. But none of it mattered.
Hydris snapped his fingers.
Mannix disappeared in a splash of water.
I froze, staring at the small puddle on the floor. Had Hydris transported Mannix somewhere else? Removing the danger temporarily? Or had he… Was Mannix the puddle?
“Hydris?” I whispered.
He turned around and looked up at me with sad eyes. “I just wanted to protect you by making him go away, but I accidentally unmade him instead.”
A weird disbelieving laugh jumped out of me. Holy shit. I gulped and shook my head as I took his very dangerous hands in mine. “You did what you had to do to protect me, yourself, and everyone in your court. I don’t think anyone’s going to have issue with that.”
I glanced around and did see some horrified faces, but I had a feeling it was more related to realizing the prince who had brought them into this world could take them back out of it again. It was probably good that they remember that.
Naunet took a handkerchief from her sleeve and dropped it on the puddle before using her foot to make sure it absorbed the liquid. A couple people laughed as I had, and I figured they were okay with losing Mannix.
“You did so well,” I whispered to Hydris before leaning down to kiss him. “You stood up to him. You told him what you wanted. I’m so proud of you.” I kissed him again.
He giggled quietly into the kiss and his eyes were twinkling when he looked up at me.
As I watched, little vines with tiny leaves grew from his crown of flowers to cascade down his back.
Pink and purple flowers bloomed from the vines.
They looked an awful lot like the ones that had been in between the rocks of the fairy ring that brought me here.
All of a sudden, a massive sound like a cannon firing had several of us ducking down as others exclaimed and all of us looked around for the source. Hydris flew up and over to the windows as I looked to the guards still hovering nearby.
“Was that you?” I demanded of the guard who’d bound me. “Some kind of attack in the event of Mannix’s death? Were you already planning—”
“No!” The guard took off his helmet to look me in the eyes. “Our loyalty has always been to the prince. His Highness sent word that we should obey Mannix as his avatar, so we did.”
I believed him. And it was entirely possible that Hydris had given such an order at one point. I had a feeling there would be a lot of things he’d have to reverse going forward.
“I don’t know what to do with this,” Lady Naunet said, the wet handkerchief pinched in her fingers.
I pointed at the table. “I think you can put it there with the rest of the trash.”
She dropped the handkerchief on top of a whole platoon of little wooden soldiers with a plop.