Chapter 4 #2
“Please, Belen, you should stand,” I manage to say.
I may have been a king once, but I certainly don’t feel like one right now.
He rises slowly until we’re face to face. His lashes are wet, and his eyes shimmer.
“I can hardly believe it,” he whispers. “You’re back.”
“Yes, and I would never have left. I had no choice in the matter,” I tell him. “You have to know that. A spell was cast. It made me forget who I really am. Made me forget everything.” I tell him briefly of the spell Snow cast.
“I believe you, Sire.” He nods, his jaw tight. “I ran into the Icefae King a year ago. King Damon told me what happened to him. How he’d been living as a human, believing himself to be someone else entirely. She cast a spell that was ancient and powerful.”
My heart leaps, and my eyes flare. “Damon? He’s alive?”
“Alive, well, and no longer lost.” A small smile crosses Belen’s face.
“There are three Lost Kings who have returned, for certain. In addition to Damon, there’s Xander of the bloodfae and Orion of the beastfae.
Rumors of a fourth, though I haven’t confirmed it yet.
” His eyes shine. “You make five, Your Grace. I’m sure they will be pleased at your return. ”
I’m not so sure of that, but I keep it to myself.
Five out of seven.
“Where are they?” I ask.
Belen shakes his head. “I don’t know. And I’m glad that I don’t.
If I knew where they were, Snow would know too.
” He gestures to the shadows surrounding us.
“This is why I’ve shrouded us. She can look through the eyes of any fae, Your Grace.
Any fae except the kings themselves. Even now, she might be trying to see through mine.
My shroud should keep her out for a short while, at least.”
Ice runs through my veins. “She’s watching?”
“Always.” His expression is grim. “I can’t keep this shroud up for long, or she’ll know I’m trying to keep something from her.
That could be…detrimental. I need to stay in my position if I am to help all of you in the long term.
It’s a pity I never rose to Ruler General. That would have been first prize.”
“So Tarro no longer holds it? I heard you refer to a female earlier.”
“That is correct. Tarro has retired,” he tells me. “A female joined the army soon after Snow took over and quickly rose through the ranks. Aside from coming from a strong House, she befriended the queen herself and is not to be trusted.”
I sigh. “It’s a pity. You should have had that position twice over for what you have done for our people.”
“Thank you, Your Grace. It was not to be. I have to watch my step. My back, too. The queen can never know that I am on your side.”
Snow doesn’t tolerate defiance. Anyone who opposes her pays the price. Belen would be put to death.
“There isn’t much time, but before I go, there’s more you need to know,” Belen continues, speaking quickly now.
“There’s a bounty on all the kings’ heads.
She wants you found. She wants you all dead.
Snow regrets keeping you alive. Hiding you as she did happened in a moment of weakness.
Once you were lost to the magic spell, you were lost to her, too.
I don’t think she expected that to happen.
Not when it comes to a control freak like Snow. ”
“Keeping me alive is a risk. Why not have her guards kill me right away?”
“Because she wants to be certain that it is you first. I think she wants to use you to draw out the others. She’s traveling here as we speak and is less than three days’ ride away.
Although if she rides hard and fast, it could be as little as two.
I would bank on two, to be sure.” He pauses.
“Once she gets here, the once-lost kings will be in grave danger. You most of all.”
I nod. “I need to find a way to escape before then,” I say, making it sound easy when it is anything but. I look down at my hands, feeling the magic flow inside me. It is a strange feeling. One I am no longer used to. “I could use my magic. I am powerful.” I squeeze my hand into a fist.
“Forgive me, but you are also out of practice, Sire,” Belen tells me.
“Magic is a strange thing. You need to use it…to wield it regularly, or it becomes wild and untethered. You could get great bursts of it or nothing at all. This whole castle could end up destroyed, along with everyone in it. I wouldn’t. ” He shakes his head.
I nod, sighing. I know he’s right, but still. I’ve had years of tuition. I was excellent at my craft.
Was.
“The castle is crawling with guards. The whole court is talking about what happened. About how a sorcerer claiming to be a Lost King is being held in the dungeon. Even if you did escape, you would be in grave danger. There are those who want you dead, many more who want that bounty. You need to keep that in mind. Have no fear, I’ll find a way to get you out,” Belen says.
“It might come in an unexpected form, but be ready. And once you’re free, you cannot use your magic.
She may not be able to see through your eyes, but she can track you through the use of your power. ”
I nod. “Understood.”
“You need to escape and find the others.” His voice drops even lower. “It’s the only way to end her reign before she destroys us all. Our fate is in your hands.”
“I will.” The words are a vow. “I will give my life for this realm.”
We clasp hands briefly. His grip is strong, his palm calloused and warm.
“I need to ask a favor,” I say before he can drop the shroud.
“What is it?”
“The human performer. The woman who was taken with me.” I meet his eyes. “Help her. If you can. I know she undid my spell somehow, even if she didn’t mean to. She’s good and kind and innocent. She doesn’t deserve to be locked up in here.”
Belen’s expression softens. “I’ll see what I can do, Your Grace. But you must be careful who you trust, including her. She may have helped you, but we don’t know why. We don’t know if it was intentional or where her true loyalties lie. She might be working for Snow. The queen has spies everywhere.”
I don’t think so, but I keep the thought to myself.
“You are right,” I tell him, because there is some truth to what he was saying. I can’t fully trust what I felt while my spell was being broken.
“Once you’re free, don’t use your power. Not even a whisper of it. Find the others and lay low until you can devise a plan.” He releases my hand. “Now hit me square in the jaw.”
I blink. “What?”
“Hit me.” He gestures to his face. “When I drop the shroud, if the guards are watching, I want you to hit me again. They need to believe you attacked me. That I was trying to question you, and you became violent. I can’t lose the queen’s trust. I have worked hard to earn it so that I might be ready to be of service when the time comes. ”
“Are you sure? Surely—”
“Very sure. They will retaliate, but, more than likely, will not use their magic on you unless absolutely necessary. We all have a quota. The higher our rank, the less she takes. Lowly guards are drained heavily every week. Keep that in mind. It’s the same in all the courts.
They rarely use their power. If they do, it will only be a trickle.
Now hit me. Do it now while the shroud is still up.
I can’t be seen to be helping you. I need to keep my reputation intact. ”
I pull back my fist and drive it into his jaw.
His head snaps to the side. He staggers but doesn’t fall; blood drips from his mouth as he smiles at me.
“Good,” he growls. “If need be, hit me again when the shroud drops. Make it convincing.”
The shadows begin to dissipate, flowing back into him…back into the shadows themselves, flying across the room.
There are several guards at the gate to the cell, which is standing open.
I hit him again, harder this time. My knuckles connect with his cheekbone, and I feel the impact all the way up my arm.
Belen goes down and hits the floor hard.
Boots thunder as the guards rush in with weapons drawn.
“He attacked me!” Belen yells, pointing at me, more shadow flying from his finger. They hit me hard in the chest, knocking me back. “The insolence!” Belen snarls.
The first guard reaches me before I’ve gotten my feet fully under me.
He swings the hilt of his sword at my head, and I twist sideways, letting it glance off my shoulder.
The momentum carries him too far forward.
I grab a fistful of his tunic, haul him in close, and drive my elbow into the bridge of his nose.
Cartilage gives way with a wet crunch. He drops his sword and staggers backward, blood pouring down his chin.
I snatch the blade before it hits the stone.
The second guard comes at me fast. I bring the stolen sword up to parry his strike.
He’s strong, but he’s sloppy, too confident, too used to hitting prisoners who don’t fight back.
I sidestep his next swing, slam the flat of the blade into his wrist, and when his grip loosens, I kick him square in the chest. He goes down hard on his back, wheezing, his weapon skittering across the floor.
For the span of two heartbeats, I’m standing with a sword in my hand and two guards on the ground, and the others hesitate.
Before I can take so much as a step, more rush into my cell, coming at me all at once.
A fist connects with my kidney from the left.
I swing the blade toward the one on my right, but another guard catches my arm mid-arc, wrenching it back.
A boot hooks behind my knee, and my leg buckles.
I connect with a meaty midsection using my elbow, and the guard groans.
Before I can feel any kind of satisfaction, someone hits me across the forearm, and the sword is torn from my grip.
I throw an elbow into the face of whoever has hold of me, and I hear him grunt, but there are too many hands now. Too many bodies pressing in. A punch drives into my stomach, and the air leaves me. I double over, and a knee comes up to meet my jaw. My teeth snap together, and I taste blood.
I lash out, catching someone with a fist and feeling the satisfying give of flesh, but a blow to the back of my head turns the world white. Another lands on my ribs. Another on my spine.
I go down.
The stone is cold against my cheek. Boots fill my vision.
I stagger back as I take a blow to my temple, seeing stars behind my eyelids. Belen shouts something, but his words are muffled.
I hate feeling so weak. I wish I could use my magic.
My time will come, I think to myself as I cough up blood.