Chapter 26
“You are out of line, Ambassador Lyklor,” snapped Queen Daealla. “How dare you assault my guards in my own court and interfere with matters that are none of your concern.”
“In any other situation,” Erendrial began, “I would allow you to kill whatever human offended you, but you can’t kill this one.”
“Who are you to tell me what I can and can’t do? We made a deal. Take whatever you want and leave the girl to me,” she yelled.
He put his hands out to the side and shrugged. “Yeah, see, this is where this whole thing gets a little hairy. The girl you want to kill is actually the thing I came for,” he said.
My mouth dropped. What could he want with me? Was it because of my visions? Did he want to use me to get the upper hand on the light court?
“You are not taking her anywhere!” yelled Gaelin.
Erendrial began to laugh. “Would you rather I leave her here so your wife can gut her? Dear Gaelin, weigh your options. In this case, I am her savior in a sense. Something you have clearly failed at time and time again.”
“You are not taking her. She is responsible for the death of our king and countless other lives. She will face the consequences of her actions and die for her betrayal,” said the queen.
Erendrial exhaled in annoyance. “I really hate to repeat myself, but since you're new to all of this, I will,” he stopped, exhaling in annoyance as he shifted his weight from one side to another. “We made a bargain. I revealed the traitor, and you will allow me to take what my king desires. It is unfortunate for you that the traitor and the thing that I came to retrieve are one and the same, but that is not my problem.”
“The bargain is broken. It is clearly stated in our laws that if a human is found guilty of an attack or the death of one of our own, they will be sentenced to death. Our law negates anything you or your king wants. Justice must be paid. She is my subject, which makes her mine to do whatever I wish with,” Daealla yelled in frustration.
“Oh, wow. This is a very busy and embarrassing first day for you,” Erendrial said sarcastically. “But I am afraid you are wrong again. First, let me make myself explicitly clear on one thing… you will not lay a hand on her. Second, you’ve been fooled sweetheart, she isn’t human, therefore, she is not your property. Thirdly, and probably the most important correction to that little speech of yours...she isn’t your subject. She is King Drezmore’s. She belongs to the dark court, which means her protection falls under my jurisdiction.”
I stumbled back, shocked at what I was hearing. I shook my head. No, this couldn’t be. What the hell? What in the actual hell?
The court gasped again as they began to talk amongst themselves, trying to figure out what was going on. I looked at Gaelin, not knowing what to do. He looked at Erendrial and then at me, shaking his head in complete shock. The court quieted as the queen looked from Erendrial to me.
“What is she?” Daealla asked.
Erendrial smiled, turning to walk back to me. He stood in front of me, locking his swirling silver eyes onto mine, reaching for my headband. I shook my head, desperate for him to stop. He winked at me and then took the headband off. He pushed my hair back around my ears, revealing the inadequate points. The whole court roared in rage, demanding I be slaughtered on the spot.
I didn’t understand any of this. The dark alfar had the same laws when it came to half-breeds. They were to be put down to keep the races pure. Why would he out me? Did he just want to take me back to the dark court as a sick joke and have his king kill me there? I dropped my eyes to the floor, thinking of all the horrible ways they would punish and torture me back at his court. It was a fate worse than death. I had done this. I had let Erendrial see who I really was. I knew it was going to come back and bite me in the ass. The crowd was yelling and screaming for my head. Erendrial lifted my chin with his fingers, taking my eyes with his.
“Head held high, remember. You will never bow again,” he said, nodding at me. He took my arm gently, bringing me to the front of his guarded circle. He looked around, waiting for the crowd to quiet down, still holding onto my arm.
Finally, the room fell into silence.
“We have the same law in regard to things like her. She is to be put down immediately,” said Queen Daealla.
Erendrial let go of my arm, stepping back to look at me with a smile on his face. “May I present, for the first time, Princess Genevieve Drezmore, sole heir to the Kingdom of Doonak,” Erendrial said proudly.
I felt like the wind had just been knocked out of me. The light alfar went crazy, yelling, and flailing like children. The twelve dark alfar warriors bowed to one knee, still in their circle formation. Erendrial bowed, smiling as he looked upon me from under his eyelashes.
I shook my head, not understanding. Was this some type of joke? I looked at Gaelin trying to find the words, but there were none. No, my father couldn’t be King Drezmore. I was not the heir to the court of horrors. This wasn’t happening.
“Silence!” yelled the queen.
The dark alfar stood to attention as did Erendrial.
“What game are you playing? She cannot ascend to the dark throne. She is a half-breed. She should never have been permitted to take a single breath.”
“I don’t have to answer any of your questions, queen. All you need to know is that she is the daughter of King Drezmore. He has claimed her as his own and declared her heir to his throne, which negates any law you wish to enforce upon her,” said Erendrial.
Queen Daealla’s temper was at its peak. “Guards!” she yelled.
Two rows of guards marched into the throne room from the hall. They surrounded the dark alfar, ready to attack when given the signal. The dark alfar warriors readied their weapons, crouching down into attack position.
Erendrial watched as they circled us. He laughed, placing me behind him gently.
“She is not going anywhere,” snarled Daealla. “I do not care who she is or what your king has deemed her. She will pay for her deception with her life.”
“I love that you think taking her life is even an option. I am going to have to agree with our friend here,” Erendrial said, tilting his head to Otar, “stupid queen.” He paused, waiting for the insult to take root. His methods were masterful. “I promise you that if you attack our princess here and now, you will be ending your own life in the process. She will survive and then her father will turn over every last stone of this palace, not resting until every light alfar is sent to Valhalla. You forget who you are dealing with,” he said, baring his teeth as he walked slowly towards her. His patience appeared to be wearing thin.
He raised one hand slightly, twisting it ever so slowly. The queen doubled over in pain, gasping for air. Veins bulged from her neck and forehead as I watched her wither in agony and discomfort. Otar spat laughter louder than any other sound in the throne room, throwing himself to the ground and rolling from side to side like a dog. The guards approached, but were frozen in place, unable to move a second later. Two dark alfar, twins, spread their arms on either side of the circle, keeping the guards stationary. Erendrial dropped his hand, allowing the queen to breathe freely. She held her chest in pain. The light alfar from the high families rose to their feet, moving behind the queen in a defensive position.
Queen Daealla rose, waiting for all her subjects to join her side. The dark alfar were heavily outnumbered, but somehow, I’d bet they’d be the last ones standing. She looked down at Erendrial. She was reckless, but she wasn’t stupid. She would die if this thing took a turn for the worse. She had just come into her power; she didn’t want her reign to end like this. She stood tall, looking from me to Erendrial once more.
“Take her and leave,” she said in a hoarse voice.
Erendrial smiled, clapping his hands together in satisfaction. “Excellent. I am glad you saw the error of your ways and agreed to uphold our bargain after all. Very wise for such a stupid queen,” said Erendrial, taking my arm to escort me back into the circle. I stopped him, looking back at Otar. He followed my eyes and exhaled in frustration but nodded. “Our princess would like to take Otar with us. Consider this an apology for trying to kill her majesty.”
The queen grumbled, nodding to the guard. Otar walked towards us. I went to meet him, but Erendrial stopped me.
“It’s okay. He won’t hurt me,” I said to him. I walked over to Otar. “The keys,” I demanded to the guard. He threw them on the floor. I released the cuffs on Otar and looked at him. “Thank you for what you did.”
“I had no choice in the matter, though I did enjoy it thoroughly. I’m curious though, why did you not give away my secret?” asked Otar.
“Just because I know your secret doesn’t mean it’s mine to give away.”
He smiled at me, genuinely for the first time.
“Would you consider coming with me?” I asked.
“I don’t have a choice,” he said.
“Well, I am giving you one now,” I replied.
He tilted his head to the side. “I guess your wicked mind is better than the other prison I was in. I will come with you, wicked princess,” he said, smiling at me.
“Thank you, but you can’t kill anyone unless I give you permission. Or hurt anyone,” I added.
“Where did the wicked girl go who dreamed of me tearing out the king’s throat?” He laughed, moving behind me.
I never spoke to anyone about the methods in which I envisioned the king dying. Was he in my head? Could he read my mind? I stood up, staring down the queen. My gaze turned to Gaelin. I wanted more than anything to talk to him in private one last time, but I knew there wasn’t time. I turned away from my shining knight.
Erendrial led Otar and I into the protective circle. I looked around at the dark alfar that had bowed a knee to me. I still didn’t believe this was happening. This had to be some sick joke.
“Oh,” said Erendrial, turning back to face the queen one more time. “One more thing,” he said with a bitter tone. He snapped his fingers in the air, twisting his wrist in a quick motion.
An arrow shot from one of his warriors, landing on Daealla’s chest, on the right side, below her collar bone. She gasped as the alfar around her took a step towards us. She pulled the sizzling marker from her chest, revealing a ulyrium stamp at the end of the arrow. Her skin was branded with a crescent moon that held a nine-pointed star inside the outline. I touched my necklace.
“The Drezmore sigil. I thought it only fitting, since you thought it was okay to brand our princess with yours.”
“I didn’t know she was your princess,” she snarled under her breath.
“Well, now you will never forget, will you?” said Erendrial.
I smiled, taking a moment of happiness out of her pain.
Erendrial turned towards me, reaching for my arms. I stepped away, still scared of him. He laughed. “Princess,” he whispered tenderly, “you have nothing to fear. I am going to mist you out of the castle. You may feel a bit dizzy, but it will pass. I just need for you to hold on, so I don’t drop you in the middle of the light guard.”
“Otar, follow us, please,” I said before Erendrial wrapped his arms around me. I reached around his broad frame, unable to clasp my hands together. I slowly placed the side of my cheek on his chest, smelling the faint scent of oranges and whiskey. His grip tightened as I closed my eyes, readying myself for anything.
I felt the air around me thin as my body felt like it was being pulled apart at every seam. I gritted my teeth at the feeling, holding onto him for dear life. In another moment we were outside in a field beyond the light court’s borders. I felt dizzy and sick, letting go of him and falling to the ground. He laughed at me, walking towards me to offer a hand. Everything was spinning. He caught my arm, pulling me to my feet.
“Deep breaths; it will pass,” he instructed.
I pulled away from him, readying myself for the other shoe to drop. “What joke is this? What are you going to do with me?” I asked.
He shook his head, closing the distance between us. “This isn’t a joke, Genevieve. You are the princess and heir to the Kingdom of Doonak.”
“Why leave me in there then? Why let them use me like they did?” I demanded.
“Your father will explain all of that to you when we arrive at the dark court.”
“No, tell me now or I will have Otar kill me. I refuse to leave one court only to be tortured and abuse in another,” I snapped.
He looked at me curiously. “You control the creature?”
“Yes.”
“How?” he asked.
“Tell me what I want to know!” The other alfar acted like they weren't listening as they misted in from the palace.
Erendrial exhaled. “Your father has been unable to produce an heir with the queen, or any other alfar female, for that matter. He is at the end of his lifespan and did not know of your existence. Once you crossed the border a few months back, you were revealed to our seer, and she was able to see your true lineage. She told your father of this, yet he was hesitant to believe it. He’s been desperate for an heir for centuries and because you are a half-breed, he was wary of how the other alfar would react.
“He needed to make sure that you were who the seer said, so he used the Otar attack as an excuse to send me to court to see if you were who we thought.” He paused, looking at me in silence for a few moments. “Your eyes are a dead give-away. I’ve never seen another alfar’s eyes that color except for your father. Then, when you revealed your gift to me before the battle, I was certain you were who the seer said. When King Lysanthier,” I winced at the name, “had your hand smashed, I took a sample of your blood and sent it back to the dark court to get tested. It was a match to the kings. You are his daughter.”
“Again, you just left me there,” I said, angered at the events that happened with King Lysanthier after the dark court left the first time. If they would have taken me then, I would have been able to avoid the hell I had yet to figure out how to escape.
“We had to. If we were to pull you from the court at that moment, King Lysanthier wouldn’t have allowed it. Especially knowing he had King Drezmore’s heir in his possession. We had to get rid of him so Daealla would take the throne. Though she is quite the beauty, she is new to all of this. I had no right in taking you just now. I lied to her to make her believe we had the upper hand.”
“So, what was the plan?”
“The plan was to wait until the king died of what looked like natural causes.”
“I could have been stuck there for centuries!” I yelled in anger.
He laughed. “No, princess. We accelerated that timeline. Before we left the light court, I had a warrior of mine curse the king with madness. One of the many gifts we possess. He would have slowly appeared to be losing his mind. Eventually, the sickness would have taken over, leaving him brain dead. He would have died in his sleep, and no one would have been the wiser about it. Though, I liked your flair for the dramatic much better. I’m going to have to watch out for you. I think I’ve found my match.”
I folded my arms over my chest, trying to block out the images of the king on top of me. Erendrial looked at me concerningly.
“He went mad and became a psychopath because of you?” I asked.
“Yes. When Daealla took the throne, we planned to sweep in and claim you. We were quite surprised when we heard of the Otar attack.”
“Is that how you knew about the sigil, connecting us? Because of your seer?”
“Yes. Her gift is very similar to yours. I think you two are going to get along splendidly. During the time we had to wait for the light king to go mad, your father worked to eliminate the law about half-breeds being sentenced to death. Once he did that, he announced your claim to the throne. I must warn you; you have an uncle and three cousins who were not thrilled to learn of your existence, but we can deal with that at a later time. Now, we should get you to your father,” he said, walking away.
“Thank you,” I said before he got too far. “For saving my life… again.”
He stopped, turning back to me. “I think I am up by one with the whole life-saving game.” He smiled back at me.
“I can tell Otar to kill you and then stop him right before he delivers the final blow. Then we’d be even,” I said, trying to comfort myself with humor.
He laughed at me. “Evil little thing, aren’t you.”
I shrugged. “I don’t like losing,” I admitted.
“Another thing you and your father have in common.” He brought a whistle-shaped instrument to his lips that I recognized from his last departure. Seven ragamors descended from the sky, slamming into the ground around us. Otar flashed in next to me, causing me to jump. He looked at the beasts with disgust.
“I am not riding one of those things, wicked one,” he grumbled deep in his throat.
I laughed. “Meat suit, wicked one. Can’t you just use my name?” I asked.
“No,” he spat shortly.
I shook my head. “Just follow us to the dark court. We’ll discuss your living arrangements once I figure out all this mess.”
He nodded, disappearing into thin air.
“Come on, princess. It’s time for your first flying lesson,” Erendrial said, walking towards one of the ragamor.
I followed, moving around the creature to examine its fascinating form. I followed the shifting colors of its armored hide, remembering the scales of the only other ragamor I had encountered back in the lavender field. I walked to the front of the creature, looking on its face. I smiled, realizing it was the same ragamor. The beast nuzzled my neck, just as it had the first time we met. I laughed, taking its face in my hands.
“Well, hello again,” I said.
“Again?” asked Erendrial.
“We’ve met before. The day you first arrived at the light court for the battle,” I said.
Erendrial smiled, looking at the ragamor, patting her on the neck. “Eeri old girl, are you cheating on me? After all these decades,” he said playfully to her.
She made a low grunt reaching her neck to the sky. She slowly lowered her body. Erendrial climbed on her back, reaching his hand out to me. I hesitated for so many reasons. One, I didn’t trust him. There was a darkness about him that told everything inside of me to run. Two, he was escorting me to the court of horrors and torture where I would have to witness humans being brutalized even more than what I had experienced at the light court. Three, I was about to ride a dragon creature. I didn’t like heights. The list went on and on.
“Princess, we’re losing daylight,” he said, reaching down for me.
I took a deep breath, extending my hand to him. His strong grip pulled me to Eeri’s back. I sat in front of him, between his legs. I shivered at the feeling of a man this close to me. I shifted uncomfortably, trying to get away from him. I felt his body still behind me.
“Are you going to be okay?” he asked bluntly.
“Yeah, I just don't like physical contact is all.” Not a lie, but not the complete truth.
“Could have fooled me. The last time I saw you, you were practically naked in Gaelin’s chambers.”
“Shut up, you don’t know what you’re talking about,” I snapped.
He laughed, taking a knife, and slitting a gash in each of his palms. “I’m sorry to make you uncomfortable, but I am going to have to lean over you to get us home. I need to fly Eeri here and I also need to make sure you don’t fall from the sky to your death. Your father would have my skin peeled off if I let that happen.”
A shiver ran up my spin as he leaned against my back, sliding both bloodied hands into small slits in the back of Eeri’s scales at the base of her neck.
“What?” I asked in surprise and curiosity.
“It’s how we control them. Our blood bonds with them, allowing me to tell her where to go and how to fly. Don’t worry, you will learn.” He leaned forward, tucking me underneath him. “If it makes the trip a little more bearable, I have a certain human waiting for you as soon as we arrive. I thought she’d make your homecoming a little easier.”
“Lily,” I said as a smile stretched across my face.
Eeri shot into the sky with a force I had never experienced before in my life. The wind was ripped from my lungs, and I fought to breath. Erendrial’s body smashed down on top of me, keeping me from sliding off the smooth scales. Eeri eased up as we soared into the clouds, traveling towards the sunset on the horizon. Her wings stretched out, creating a beautiful kite-like effect.
As she steadied out on top of the clouds, Erendrial eased up on my back, keeping his hands in the slits hidden beneath her scales. I peered out into the pink and orange sunset. The sky was tranquil and peaceful. The only sound I heard was Eeri’s wings flapping slightly as she navigated the wind. I smiled, touching my star pendant with my fingers. I inhaled, taking in the clear air.
“Freedom.”