Chapter 22
Flashes of darkness rolled through my head that night. Blood, pain, and death crept in every vision. Finally, the pain stopped as my eyes focused on a creature I had seen before…Otar. This time, he wasn’t sitting on the throne in the light court, watching the royals swing from the chandeliers. He was dead, lying on a wooden table in a dark basement. His body had been cut open; his organs removed.
His black, leathery skin was now gray. His yellow eyes were shut, and his lips lazily hung open, revealing his mouthful of sharp teeth. I saw myself approach him. I felt the fear and uncertainty as I hovered over his lifeless body. I placed the candle down on the table next to him, then picked up a hollow point needle and black ink.
I flipped my left wrist over and began to carve a sigil into my flesh. A circle with an inverted triangle in the middle, with a black dot at the bottom point. A line arched from the bottom left side of the circle, up and through the triangle before ending at the bottom right side of the frame. The wound healed, but the black mark remained on my flesh. I took a knife and slit my palm, placing the dripping stream of blood over Otar’s lips. The blood pooled in his mouth until finally spilling down the sides of his cheeks.
I took the candle, stepped back from the table, and lit Otar’s body on fire. I watched the flames devour his corpse. My mind flashed to another scene. Otar was now alive, bound by iron shackles. He was talking to me, telling me everything I wanted to know. He did everything I commanded of him, as if I controlled him. Then I saw a dagger made of white apophyllite crystal. Otar feared the dagger.
My mind spun around and around before I finally opened my eyes to the empty room. I sat straight up, panting and sweating from the vision. I got out of bed and staggered to the balcony, welcoming the cool air. Why was I having this vision? Why was I seeing this? Otar was dead. Gaelin had killed him. I slid down the pillar, trying to wrap my head around what I had just seen.
The next morning, Gaelin was nowhere to be found. I waited for him to come back to the room, but it had been two hours after breakfast, and he was still absent. I took off, filling my time with meaningless chores as I thought about my vision. During lunch, I ran into Madison and Levos on a terrace enjoying the peace and quiet. I tried to duck away without being noticed, but Madison caught me before I could escape and beckoned me over to them.
“Did you two have fun at the wedding?” I asked, trying to be polite.
“Not so much at the wedding, but afterward I did,” said Madison. She glanced over at Levos who bashfully smiled, dropping his eyes from hers.
“Did you sleep well?” Levos asked me.
“Better than most nights. Thank you for that,” I said, taking his hand in mine.
“You should have stuck around. The king fell asleep at the table. The guards had to carry him back to his bed. The queen was so humiliated. It was priceless,” added Madison.
“The talk about his mental state is starting to catch traction. The court thinks he is losing his mind,” said Levos.
“He is, believe me. He mumbles to himself, and he can’t seem to control his temper. Has he always been like this?” I asked.
“No, not at all. For the most part, the alfar are even tempered. They’re able to control themselves and their emotions. You saw the way he was when the dark court was here. Ambassador Lyklor was pushing each one of his buttons, but he didn’t flinch. Now, everything sets him off,” said Levos.
“In the past, even the humans he’s taken never have mentioned him being aggressive. Cold maybe, but not physically abusive,” said Madison.
“Well, that has definitely changed. I am living proof of that,” I said, taking a bite of a date.
They both looked at each other before dropping their heads uncomfortably. “Sorry,” I whispered.
Madison took my hand this time. “Don’t ever apologize for that. We’re here for you. Whatever you need,” she said kindly.
I smiled, shifting awkwardly. One of the other servants came rushing in, signaling for Madison to follow her. Madison exhaled, getting to her feet. She bent down and gave Levos a small kiss. He looked at her tenderly, pinching her chin in between his fingers. She smiled before following the servant out of the room.
“Looks like things are good with you two,” I said, happy for my friend.
“They are. Gaelin told me last night he is going to make me a lord, which will allow me to take a mistress. Madison will never be forced to sleep with anyone she doesn’t want ever again,” I smiled, knowing what this meant to him.
“That’s amazing. He’s going to make a great king,” I said heavily. “Have you seen him?”
He shook his head, looking out into the fields below us. “He didn’t come back to his room last night?”
“No, nor this morning. At dinner last night he was so cold and distant.”
“He’s putting on his armor, Gen. He needs to appear unwavering now that he is to be king.”
I nodded, understanding the logic. A few moments went by as we sat in peace. I hit him in the boot playfully. “I know you have another lady to dote over now, but would it be too much for me to ask you for a gift?”
He smiled, leaning in towards me. “What do you want now?”
“Hey now, I don’t ask for a lot?”
“Out with it.”
“A dagger, made of apophyllite crystal.”
He sat up straight, frowning. “What in Odin’s name do you want a dagger made of apophyllite for?”
“I think it’s pretty and I want to be armed when I go out in the fields to pick herbs. I’ve almost been eaten out there a couple of times already.”
“You’ve what? What haven’t you told me?” he said in surprise.
“Not important. Can you have it made or not?”
“Yes but promise me it isn’t going to end up in the king’s chest. I would really hate to have to watch you get beheaded. I like your head just where it is.”
I laughed, enjoying the image of me standing over the king’s bloodied body. “I’m not stupid. I know that apophyllite won’t kill him, but if it makes you feel better, I promise. How long do you think it will take to get?”
He shrugged. “I can have it for you by dinner. I will have to get it made. Weapons aren’t usually made out of crystal, unless it's ulyrium as you well know, but since I’m the cousin of the soon-to-be new king, it shouldn't be a problem.”
“Thank you, Levos.”
“You’re not going to tell me what the dagger really is for, are you?”
I shook my head. “Not now, but I will tell you one day,” I said, getting to my feet, leaving him on the terrace alone.
I still didn’t know what my premonition meant, but if Otar was somehow going to make another appearance I wanted to be ready for him. I wasn’t all too confident the apophyllite dagger would kill him, and I still had no clue what the sigil meant, or why I fed Otar my blood.
I rounded the corner of the main hall and slammed right into the king and two of his advisors. He looked down at me with a haunting smile. I stood still, too afraid to move. I began trembling, trying to will myself to run, but I was planted to the floor.
The king waved his hand and the two alfar left his side. He took a step closer to me, dragging his hand along my arm. His eyes were hungry and dark. He licked his lips before pulling my body into his. My chin began to tremble. He never had taken me during the day. In the daylight, I was safe. The darkness of night was what I had to fear.
“I’m sorry I was unable to fulfill my promise about taking you last night,” he whispered, swirling one of my curls around his finger. “I’d like to make it up to you, darling Genevieve.” That was the first time he had ever used my name.
“I have my chores to do, Your Grace,” I said, hoping to escape.
“Your only job for the next hour is to satisfy your king,” he said, pushing me towards his chambers.
I turned, walking slowly to my own living hell. I shuddered as his footsteps followed behind me. I could feel his eyes undressing me with each passing second. I pushed open his door, standing aside until he entered.
I rushed back to Gaelin’s room to bathe and change, trembling. Tears no longer came. It was almost as if I had run out of them completely. The alfar looked at me with curiosity as I pushed through them down the hall. I flung the door open, slamming it behind me with more force than I ever had. I stripped my soiled clothes off my body. Blood stained my dress. I filled the bath and submerged myself, demanding the filth of him to burn off me.
I yelled as I scrubbed. I scrubbed, and scrubbed, and scrubbed some more. Then I just sat in the tub, my knees pulled to my chest as I raged. I had to find a way to be rid of him. I had no expectation of surviving this life. I knew what my fate held. I was going to die in this place, used and beaten. If I was going to die, then I would at least rid the world of King Lysanthier on my way out.
I thought back to my vision. Otar. I controlled him. He had to do whatever I told him. Was he, my key? Could I raise him from the dead and command him to kill King Lysanthier? I knew that the apophyllite dagger would possibly kill him. I knew iron restrained him. This could work. I could do it. I could raise Otar and control him to do my bidding. If I was wrong, and he came back without a leash, he would kill me. Somehow, that gave me a haunting sense of comfort.
I got out of the tub, wrapping the towel around my body. I had to find out where they were keeping Otar’s body. I had to get to him. Tonight. Tonight, after the king had me, again, I would find Otar and raise him to kill the bastard. I opened the door to the bathroom to find Gaelin sitting on the edge of the bed, holding my soiled dress. I stopped, not knowing what to say or do. He hung his head, gripping the dress so hard his knuckles were white.
“The elixir didn’t work?” He asked in a low voice.
I stepped forward, going to the armoire to get a clean dress. “It protected me last night. Just not this afternoon,” I said hesitantly.
He threw the dress, standing up from the bed in anger. I dressed and composed myself before speaking to him again. I had to be strong. I had to put a mask on and act like I wasn’t affected by what had just happened thirty minutes prior. I had to use Gaelin to find where Otar’s body was being held. He sat on the couch, looking at the bookshelf in front of him blankly. I took a seat next to him, not knowing if he wanted my touch.
“Do you need anything from me?” he asked coldly.
“Only for you to be here with me now,” I said softly.
He nodded, not looking at me. I reached for him, but he moved his hand before I could make contact. He had never shunned away from my touch before. I felt a sting of pain dart through my heart. I was losing him, and I didn’t know how to fix it.
I held my head in shame. “Do you not want me, because he’s had me?”
His head snapped to me. His eyes were full of hate and pain. He studied me for a moment. I tried to control my face and appear whole, but I knew he could see through my mask. “I want to save you from him. I hate what he does to you, but that doesn’t reflect poorly on you.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“What for?”
“All of this,” I said, feeling guilty. For what? I had no clue.
“How is any of this your fault? You didn’t ask for this. This is his fault. This is my fault. This is everyone’s fault except yours,” he said, raising his voice. His sorrow and pain, now turning to rage.
I stopped, remembering what he had to endure only a few hours ago. He was forced to perform with another against his will. He calmed himself, bringing his hands to his lap.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked.
He chuckled. “Yes, let’s share stories about our forced sexual encounters. That’s exactly what I want to do. Talk about how I fucked another alfar with the female I love.”
I hung my head, not knowing how to deal with him. I had never experienced this side of Gaelin before. I nervously fumbled with my hands, trying to think of something.
He exhaled, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, you don’t deserve to be talked to that way. I’m just…wounded is all.”
“It’s okay. You have every right to be angry about all of this.”
“Yes, but not at you.” He took my hand, finally turning to look at me. “Did he hurt you badly?”
“Not the worst he’s done. Most of the bruises are gone already. Just a little sore,” I said, trying to sound somewhat reassuring. “How are you after last night?”
“She insisted we do it more than once. I couldn’t even…I couldn’t at first. I’m ashamed to admit I had to think of you to even perform with her. Hopefully, she’s pregnant and that will be the last time I have to do that,” he said.
“If the thought of me brings you any comfort, don’t feel ashamed about it.” A few moments passed as we sat, holding each other’s hand in silence. “How is the situation with the rift going?” I asked, trying to move the conversation to where I needed it to go.
“Reports of the rift opening around the kingdom are still coming in. We’ve caught a few of the beasts this past week, but it’s hard to keep up with their numbers. The council is considering calling in the dark court again to help get a handle on things. Our pride has prevented the call for help thus far, but we're running out of options.”
“This doesn’t reflect poorly on you. Once you have a little help cleaning up the masses, it will allow you to prepare and anticipate where the rift will open next so you can get on top of it,” I said, running my fingers through his hair.
“Maybe. I just hate asking the dark alfar for anything.”
“I know, but they’re a means to an end. Nothing more. You have the larger kingdom and more people to protect. Your burden is heavy.” I let a few moments pass, trying to make the progression of thought sound natural. “Whatever happened to Otar? Did you ever find anything useful?”
He shook his head. “No, his anatomy is interesting, but we still don’t know anything about him. Where he comes from, what he is, or who he was working for.”
“So, what happened to his body?”
“He’s still here,” he answered. I felt my heart leap for joy. I wanted to smile, but I kept my expressions on lockdown.
“Here, in the castle?”
“Yes. We keep him below in one of the labs where the alfar can continue to study him and the other things we catch.” Gaelin turned then to look at me. His eyes filling with questioning. “Why are you so interested in the monsters all of the sudden?”
Without hesitation I answered with confidence. I had prepared for this. “Well, if there’s a war coming, I want to know what monsters we’ll have to face. Is that so hard to believe?”
“No, but with you, I never know where that beautiful head of yours is.”
I grinned at him, nudging my shoulder into his. “So is the place where you keep their bodies under the servant’s quarters?”
“Yes. It’s not a secret. Most of the alfar don’t want to be bothered by the things we catch. They’d rather act like everything is normal and their way of life isn’t at risk.”
I nodded, letting the subject drop before he got much more suspicious of my questions. Tonight, I would find the labs and find Otar. I would raise him, and I would have my revenge.