Chapter 17
My eyes fluttered open, feeling like they were weighted. My head was pounding as if I had been hit by something hard. I tried to sit up—I was in Gaelin’s bed, I realized—but I was too weak. I felt like I had been to battle and back. Levos and Gaelin rushed to my side. They checked my eyes, tilting my face from side to side. I could see that they were speaking, but I was only able to make out muffled sounds. Suddenly, my ears recovered, and their voices boomed against my eardrums.
“Are you okay? What happened to you?” asked Levos.
I grimaced at the loud projection of his voice.
“Just give her a minute. Let her fully wake up,” said Gaelin. He handed me a glass of water. I sipped it slowly as the memories of my vision came flooding back more clearly. I looked at the map on the table and then at Gaelin.
“The enemy isn’t coming from the south,” I blurted, needing to tell him everything I remembered before it escaped me. He looked at me, confused.
“What?” he asked.
“They will come from the north. They will take the city while you seek them out in the south. They will kill the royals and everyone who is left inside the walls. When you return, they will kill you as well. It’s a trap, Gaelin,” I said frantically.
He pulled back. “Gen, you hit your head pretty hard. Maybe you need to rest a bit longer before you try to get up,” he said.
“Please, listen to me. I know this sounds crazy, but I saw it. I saw everything,” I said.
“What do you mean, you saw?” Levos asked.
I bit the side of my lip, not wanting to sound like a fool. “I think I have powers, like other alfar. I think I have visions,” I said slowly.
Gaelin huffed with amusement.
“Gen, we’ve been over this,” said Levos. “If you had powers, they would have shown themselves when you were young. Plus, we don’t have that type of gift at court.”
“What if I am not part light alfar? What if I am dark?” I asked, feeling sick at the possibility.
Both their faces went stern.
“Don’t talk like that,” snapped Gaelin. “You hit your head. That is all.”
“Gaelin, please, just send out the scout one more time. They can be back before dinner. What is it going to hurt to make sure? Please,” I begged.
He looked at me for a long moment and then nodded. “Levos, send out two scouts immediately,” said Gaeln.
I exhaled in relief and fell back to the pillow, as Levos left the room. Gaelin sat by my side on the edge of the bed.
“Would it be a horrible thing if I was part dark alfar? Would it change anything?” I asked.
He leaned down kissing my lips tenderly. “You’d still be you. That’s all I care about. Now get some sleep. I will come to wake you before dinner.”
I stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, glaring at the bandage that covered the brand. I had to look at it. It was a part of me whether I wanted it there or not. I could carve it out of my skin, but knowing Daealla, she’d just mark me somewhere else out of spite. I pulled the small square of cloth away from my skin.
Underneath, inside a raised circle, was a beautiful winding tree. Its limbs stretched to the edges of the circle. It was actually kind of pretty, in a way, but it’s meaning still bothered me. I was branded by the light court for the rest of my life. No matter where I went or what I did, people would know they had owned me. I was branded just like a heifer.
Gaelin came in, seeming shocked to see me out of bed. I turned to him, anxious for a report.
“Have the scouts checked in?” I asked.
“Yes. The threat still lies at the southern border. They saw it with their own eyes,” said Gaelin.
I braced myself against the sink, sure of what I had seen. Something wasn’t right. This must have been a trick. It felt so real. Just like when I saw the dark court arrive. When I felt the pain in my hand. Those visions had all come to pass.
Though, I had never had a vision while I was awake. I had always been asleep when they came, but this one was clear as day. No room for misinterpretation. I went to Gaelin, throwing my arms around him. I had to make him trust me. I had to make him understand.
“Gaelin, I know I am asking a lot, but you need to trust me. I’ve had these visions before and the events in them have come to pass. This was more clear and more real than any I’ve had. If you don’t listen to me, we are all going to die. Please trust me, please,” I begged.
He gently pulled my arms from his neck, taking a step away. “I do trust you, and I’ve done as you’ve asked, but the threat is still to the south. If you do indeed have these gifts, you are new to them. You may not understand what you’re seeing, or you may be misinterpreting them. Relying on your gift at this point is too great of a risk.”
“I don’t want to see you die, Gaelin. Please trust me. I would have never said a thing to you if I wasn’t sure,” I said.
He exhaled, standing in the doorway of his room. “I’m sorry, but I need to go with the source that is most accurate. My orders remain the same. I will be late tonight after dinner is over, so don’t wait up,” he said, then shut the door, leaving me alone in the room.
I spent the entire dinner trying to figure out a way to make them believe me. Though I wouldn’t mind a few specific alfar dying terrible deaths, there were humans here. Innocent humans that didn’t deserve to be mixed up in a war they could never win.
The dark alfar left dinner early. Gaelin was going to be away most of the night preparing for the upcoming battle. I drifted back to the room, feeling hopeless.
Gods, I hated being so weak and powerless. In The Frey, it wasn’t too bad. At least I could still outsmart most of the humans. But here, I was surrounded by magic, powers, and years of conniving and scheming. Though, I had outsmarted the smartest male in the room, so there was that.
I stopped dead in my tracks. That was it. Erendrial was the key. He knew what I was. There was a chance I could convince him that my vision was true and not some symptom of a concussion as Gaelin thought.
I veered off towards the guest chambers. King Lysanthier had put the dark alfar guests as far away from his subjects as possible. I had to make sure I wasn’t seen. If anyone saw me entering or leaving another alfar’s chambers, I would be killed. But if I didn’t take the risk, we were all going to be dead tomorrow anyway. There would be no victory without risk.
I kept my head down. Surprisingly, the guest wing was like a ghost town. I guessed everyone feared them enough to keep their distance. I took a deep breath in and knocked three times on the door I knew to be Erendrial’s.
“Come in,” he said in a deep, rich voice.
I opened the door and slid into the room, quickly shutting it before anyone else could see me. I turned to find Erendrial seated up against the headboard. He was shirtless, only wearing a pair of black silk pants. A blonde human girl was draped across him, naked as he twirled his fingers through her hair. Another human girl was dancing at the foot of the bed, completely naked.
I turned my face quickly, not wanting them to see me, but it was too late. They both got up, reaching for their clothes, never once taking their eyes from me. This was it. I was dead. I heard Erendrial laugh as he got out of the bed.
“I was expecting dessert. Not what I ordered, but I can definitely make do with you,” Erendrial said seductively.
I kept my face turned away from the two girls as they frantically dressed. Erendrial stood in front of me looking from them to me and then smiled. “Don’t worry, I will take care of them,” he said, moving in their direction.
“Wait,” I said, reaching out to grab his arm. He looked down at my hand on his forearm and arched a brow. I pulled my touch from him instantly. “Don’t hurt them. Please,” I begged.
He shook his head in disbelief, holding my stare. He walked over to them, taking their faces in his hands. They were still bare from the waist up. I noted bite marks and bruises on their skin. Some around their breasts, others around their neck. Their skin was still flushed from the dalliance I had obviously interrupted.
Erendrial relaxed and exhaled slowly, looking at both girls. He rubbed the sides of their faces with his thumbs. The two women relaxed against his touch. Their eyes looked back at him lazily. One of them bit her lip as if she were being turned on all over again.
“You will not remember anyone in this room but me. You both will go back to your beds and only remember the incredible night we shared together. You never saw another woman in the room with us. Understood?” Erendrial asked.
They both nodded heavily. They finished getting dressed and then left the room without even looking at me.
“How did you…” I asked, shocked by what I was seeing.
“Pheromone manipulation. They will never remember you were here.”
“Is that how you got them to sleep with you in the first place? Manipulating them so you could bite and beat them to your liking?” I said with disgust.
He turned to face me. His eyes were dark and heavy. A shiver of fear ran up my spine. I had somehow managed to forget how deadly he was. I bit my lip, lowering my head in a submissive reaction. He stalked over to me, like an apex predator about to assert his dominance.
“Just to be clear, I have never had to manipulate a female of any race to lay with me. I only give them what they ask for. Bite marks and all. Believe it or not, some females like it a bit rough in bed. Not that you would understand. I am sure Gaelin treats you as if you could break at any moment.”
“I’m sorry. It isn’t my place to question your actions,” I said quietly.
He huffed. “Why are you here at this hour?” He asked, moving across the room to a table where he poured two glasses of wine.
I lifted my head, preparing to begin my plea for help when my eyes locked on a black inked marking that covered his left shoulder. Starting from the base of his neck, it covered the length of his cuff and moved down to his arm. It swirled in a pattern so familiar I could have drawn it from memory. I searched for other details that were familiar. His smile, yes, his smile. It was the same. The same full soft lips. The same elongated canine teeth. The same shade of white. His chin even had the same dimple in it that I had admired so many times.
No, no, NO! How could this be? Why had I been dreaming of him for the past two years? My angel wasn’t an angel at all. He was a demon sent to torture me.
Erendrial walked slowly over to me, offering me wine. I focused on those all too familiar hands. The long strong fingers. The veins that ran under his skin. The shape of his fingernails. All of it. He had three rings on his hand, just like I had seen for so many years.
I took the glass and gulped it down before locking my eyes on the tattoo on his left shoulder. He turned his head to his marking and then back to me slowly. He tilted his head up and almost posed, putting his strong, flawless body on display for me. I pulled my eyes back to the ground, not wanting to spend another moment in this room with him.
“See something you like?” he asked playfully, taking a sip of his wine before moving to a chair next to the table. “Come sit,” he demanded.
I did as I was told, trying my best not to look at the damn marking, but I had to know. I had to know what it meant. I had wondered for so long. “Your…marking. On your shoulder. What is it?” I asked, not making eye contact.
He refilled my glass before placing his own on the table and leaned back into his chair. “Genevieve, if we are going to have a conversation. I expect you to be able to look at me. You came here on your own, without an invitation and interrupted a very rewarding evening that I wasn’t quite done enjoying. The least you can do is look at me while we talk.”
I slowly brought my eyes to his. My whole body was tense. I crossed my arms and legs, wanting to fold in on myself, but this was the smallest I was going to get. What in the hell was I thinking? Coming here, locking myself in a room with someone—something—as dangerous as him.
“Very good. Now, you were inquiring about my marking. It’s called an imprint. When a male in the dark court turns eight it appears on our body in a random place. Each marking is unique to the male alfar. When an alfar takes a wife, she takes the imprint on herself the day of the wedding. Some magical connection or whatnot. It ties the two together as a visual representation of their union.”
“Like a wedding ring?” I asked.
He laughed to himself. “A bit like that I guess, except you can’t take it off and get a new one whenever you want.”
“Why don’t the light alfar have them?”
“It started when my kind made the deal with Azeer. We think it’s some dark magic connecting all of us.”
I paused, trying to note all the differences between the two courts. “And where is your wife?” I asked.
His face scrunched together as he flashed a genuine smile. It was the same. Every line, every tooth. The way his cheeks formed into dimples from the motion. The way his creases outlined his lips.
“I have no wife and never will.”
“Why?” I asked.
“A wife doesn’t suit my aspirations in life, I suppose. Plus, a female would want children and I can’t stand them, so there is that. Genevieve, did you come here to get to know me on a more personal level, or is there something you need from me?”
I took a sip of wine and looked at him, trying to calm myself. “I need your help.”
“Already filled my quota of helping you for the day,” he playfully said.
“Well, now it’s my turn to return the favor and save your life,” I said confidently.
He perked an eyebrow and tilted his head down. “I’m listening.”
“Gaelin believes the attack will come from the south border, but he is wrong. He is going to send the whole army south, but the enemy won’t be there. While he is busy searching for them, they will attack the northern wall. They will succeed and take the castle, killing everyone inside. When the army returns, Otar will be in the throne room. He will kill everyone, including you,” I said.
Erendrial’s face remained emotionless, difficult to read. He leaned over his knees rubbing his face with his hand. His neatly trimmed black hair was tousled, and locks fell across his forehead.
“Why tell me this? Why not Gaelin?” he finally asked, calmly.
“I did, but he doesn’t believe me. To his defense, he sent out two scouts to make sure the threat was still at the south border. They reported that they were, but something isn’t right. The enemy I saw were large wolf-like creatures. They tore everything to shreds. That…thing, which I presume was Otar, has some power that I don’t think any of you have seen yet. I think he’s using that to make it appear like the enemy is in the south, when in reality, they’re waiting for you all to leave so they can attack the wall.”
“And how do you know this?”
I chewed on my lip. Even though I was almost certain he knew what I was, I wasn’t going to make the mistake of telling him out loud. “I can’t tell you. I know I am asking a lot, but I figured with the ragamor you brought, you could send out your own scouts to the north to see if I am right. The canopies of the forest will provide them good coverage, but from the air you should be able to spot them if they are there.”
He nodded his head as if considering my suggestion. “Anything else I should know about?”
“They have ulyrium spears and some type of explosive devices. They’re full of ulyrium. He has enough to wipe out the whole army.”
“Unexpected, but clever, nonetheless. Makes things a bit more inconvenient.”
I waited a few moments in silence, allowing him to think. “Also, I don’t believe Otar is the reason for the rift.”
He looked at me curiously. “And why not? He has been the most powerful being we’ve seen yet. He is the only one capable of controlling the beasts that come through the rift.”
“When I saw all this happening, Otar was in the throne room when you, Gaelin, and the others entered. He detonated the bombs to kill you while in the same room, sacrificing himself in the process. What power-hungry leader in any race have you ever heard of willingly would choose to kill himself just as he conquers his foe?”
He leaned back, smiling at me as he took another sip of wine. “If what you say is true, why should I not leave tomorrow morning before the battle commences. Sounds to me like this information, if accurate, will eliminate both of my king’s enemies in a few hours,” he said tauntingly.
I paused, weighing the outcomes. “Because, if Otar isn’t the most powerful thing to come out of the rift, you will need all the help you can get, including the light alfar. If they aren’t here, the border to The Frey collapses, which would allow anything to get inside. There go your human sacrifices, your slave labor, and your endless supply of warm bodies. Territory wars will commence from the other races trying to take control of the land. Countless fae lives will be lost battling over a piece of land while the things from the rift keep coming. They will look to attack the dark court first, taking out their biggest competition. Though you are powerful, you don’t have the numbers to cover that much land. You can’t fight two wars at once and win,” I said confidently.
He laughed and shook his head. “Very impressive. It is nice to have a conversation with someone who isn’t so…simple-minded.”
I smiled, dropping my eyes to the floor.
“Ah, never look at the floor. You reveal your weakness to your opponent.”
“Why do you care?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I enjoy a project occasionally. Especially one who is clever enough to out-wit me at my own game.” He tilted his head. Trying to read me. “I presume whatever little talent you used to discover the battle plan you also used to root out Filo?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re smart not to trust me. No hard feelings,” he said, standing to his feet. He extended his hand to me. I hesitantly took it, pulling myself up from the table. “Where is Gaelin now?”
“Preparing for tomorrow’s battle I presume. He told me not to wait up.”
Erendrial smirked. “I think it is time for you to be on your way.”
“Does that mean you believe me?” I asked desperately.
He looked down into my eyes. The silver of his iris’s swirled around his dark pupils. “You’ll have to wait until tomorrow for that answer.” He smiled, gesturing to the door. He pulled it open, checking the hall first. “Good night, Genevieve.”
I stopped, taking another look at him, cataloging all the familiar features I had memorized. He nodded to the hall. I took my leave, moving quickly to put as much distance between myself and his room. I had done all I could to save this stubborn, miserable race. I just hope it was enough.