Chapter 2
“ A hhh,” a terrifyingly deep, blood-curdling scream swept through the dark woods as nearly ten assailants rushed forward.
Ian’s focus remained undeterred, even as the strangers charged. The clang of weapons snapped me into action. For the first time, I fought for my life, no longer in the safety of the training pits.
Ian brought his sword down, atop the man who had attacked me, finally defeating him. But two more men wielded their swords as they challenged him. I gripped my own weapon hard, preparing to strike at the first opportunity. The attackers were nearly animalistic. They dodged Ian’s blows with ease. It was so rare for a civilian to be able to fight with such stamina.
As Captain of the Royal Guard, Ian didn’t surprise anyone by being the best fighter in the kingdom. Even without his Fae magic, his skill set made him an intimidating opponent for anyone to take on. Add in the abilities he had as a shapeshifter Fae, and he proved to be deadly. He maintained a keen sense of awareness and the ability to predict where someone might move next. These attributes, combined with his brute strength, made him a formidable adversary.
Yet, his skills weren’t enough to quickly stop our current attackers.
As the two Fae engaged Ian, Storm and his companion raced past us, directly into the onslaught of their newest targets.
My shoulder connected with Storm’s friend as he ran by, and a jolt burst through my entire body. The same warmth I’d felt earlier, as we hid in the brush, seemed to magnify tenfold at the short contact. To refrain from falling, I had to quickly catch myself, thankful my legs were in a ready stance.
The stranger’s hood flung back at our touch, and I caught a quick glimpse of his sharp jawline and the black strands of hair hanging slightly around his eyes. Before I could observe anymore of him, he sprinted so far ahead of me, I wondered if his magic gave him multiple abilities, another rare trait.
“Hidden Henchman, now would be a good time to help,” Ian quipped.
The sparring I’d done in the training ring never seemed this bloodthirsty. I knew if I didn’t move and join this fight, Ian would be hurt. Frozen only a second longer, I steeled my nerves.
Ian spent years training me. Now I would put that training to the test. I refused to be a powerless princess sitting idly on a throne as her kingdom suffered.
As Ian held the man’s attention and swung, landing blow after blow, I knew I’d have the element of surprise the moment I joined the fray.
Ian moved with the precision of a warrior, executing blocks and blows against the crazed men time and time again. The attackers were unable to gain a foothold, despite their attempts to put Ian into a defensive position.
In the foray, Ian’s next two sword maneuvers would have one of the men leaning away from me and should trap his sword against Ian’s, long enough for me to launch my own attack.
I leapt as Ian swung his sword over his head and brought it crashing down. A move he had me practice repeatedly in the past year. In a breath, the man became distracted and unable to lift his sword from beneath Ian’s, exactly as planned. I lunged toward him, refusing to hesitate as I plunged my dagger into the side of his throat.
Ian grunted in my ear as his blade slid from beneath the bizarre Fae and blocked a strike from the other assailant. Although Ian barely had time to breathe, I froze.
My hand shook, trembling at the blood staining my skin, but I didn’t let go.
I shivered as I yanked the dagger from the side of the man’s neck, his eyes wide in his final moments before he sank to the ground.
I had killed a man.
A hissing to my right alerted me to danger as the hilt of a sword hit me across the face.
“Agh,” I cried.
Our fight remained far from over.
I could hear the swords of the others, each of us now engaged with our surprise attackers. I ducked at the assailant's swing coming for my head again, attempting to move to the ground with my leg to drop him. I underestimated his strength, and instead, fell too far forward.
Rolling as quickly as possible, I righted myself, facing him before he could swing at me again.
The man I fought grinned as another joined him, faster than I could react. The pair circled me, forcing me backward. The movement pushed me farther away from Ian and closer to where Storm and his friend were battling four men themselves.
Storm grunted and barked, “Not sure I want to do this without using?—”
“Only if it’s dire,” his friend growled back, slamming his sword into the gut of one of the attackers.
Ian’s fight grew worse. There were now four men descending upon him.
Again, I stopped mid-fight, unable to move. A flash of a distant memory played across my mind, and my hands loosened at my sides.
A cold, dark stone room, sweat dripping down my back. Shaking from concentrating as hard as I could, struggling to will a blade of grass to peek its head through the cracks in the ground. The angry shouting echoing in the stone room over and over again, screaming at me to produce some sort of magic. Any magic.
“If you cannot produce magic, your loved ones will perish. Their blood will be on your hands, Illiana.”
“You are a disgrace to the royal line. Pathetic.”
Ian coughed up blood, hurt. The soldiers kept beating him. I lifted my hand toward him, but my body refused to move, refused to access any magic to save Ian. I needed to get to him, but my feet were like lead on the ground.
“It’s real!” A voice broke through my mind. “This is real! You have to move. Now!”
Ian.
The forest came into focus. Ian still fought the Fae around us. And he’d pulled me out of my frozen stupor, as he always had on too many occasions.
This is real .
A fist collided with my face, sending me to the ground immediately.
Definitely real .
The assailant stepped on my wrist, kicking my dagger from my hand, disarming me faster than any of the guards I’d trained with ever could. A crack sounded as his hand shot out, pulling roots from beneath the earth as they wrapped around my wrist like a rope.
Earth Fae.
He tugged me by the wrist—away from the fight and deeper into the woods.
With one arm still free, I grunted in frustration, reaching toward my boot where I stored a spare dagger.
Across the clearing, Ian still battled his four attackers, while Storm and his friend moved in sync, dominating their own assailants. Damn it all, they weren’t in a position to help.
“Get off of me,” I shouted, twisting to reach my blade once more.
My cry caught the attention of both Storm and his friend, and within a second, the hooded figure turned, staring straight at me. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared amongst the trees, and instead of waiting for help, I resumed my struggle to obtain my last dagger. My fingertips brushed the laces of my boot.
Just a little further. My fingers wrapped around the hilt, and I jerked it out.
Before I could use the blade, my head slammed forward against the cold dirt, and my vision blurred. The attacker's blade sliced my forearm open as I tried to catch myself. Blood oozed from the wound, while my head swam from the blunt force of my fall.
This is not where I die.
The weight on my back let up. Twisting around, I plunged the dagger into the side of the man gripping my arm. Simultaneously, Storm’s friend stood behind me, slicing at the other attacker’s neck before gutting the man despite my lodged dagger.
My attacker gagged on his own blood, falling forward, spattering red onto my cloak as he fell to the ground.
My arms were yanked once again, this time by the cloaked stranger. His firm grasp, surprisingly comforting, as my back slammed into his chest with the sudden movement I made to stand. I trembled at the closeness, but he didn’t let go. Instead, he held me from behind a moment longer, until I had my feet firmly beneath me.
“You’re welcome,” he said haughtily, already rushing back to where Storm still fought.
“Thank you,” I whispered, trying to catch my breath. He fled before he’d heard it. I wobbled once, before regaining my balance.
Storm’s laugh echoed around us as he yelled, stretching his arms out to his side. Fire flickered at his hands, and from his palms, he threw the glowing orbs toward two assailants.
My jaw dropped as I watched them flee, bodies wrapping in flames. A fire completely generated by one Fae. The smell of smoke hit me and burnt my nostrils.
Storm had downed two of the attackers with his fire power. Fire . The magical ability to wield an element existed in myths and legends. Nothing more. The idea of it seemed impossible. Yet, Storm used the power effortlessly.
Exactly who were these Fae?
I ran toward Ian, wanting to help him any way I could. As I approached, he dove forward, but before he could reach the last attacker, the man turned and fled, escaping to the safety of the woods beyond.
Storm’s arrogant, far-too-powerful-looking companion bolted after the fleeing man, but only for a moment before Storm shouted, “Kade! You can’t.”
Kade .
The mystery Fae had a name now.
He halted at his friend’s warning, shoulders tensing. I noticed his chest heaving, even from where I stood yards away, the effort it took to contain himself visible. He jerked his hood over his head, composing himself once more before pivoting and stalking back toward us. Slowly, panting quietly, trying to catch his breath, he turned to Storm, their gazes boring into each other in what appeared to be a silent standoff. The air returned to its sweet scent, the charge of electricity gone as quickly as it came.
“Tits and daggers,” I cursed, earning an eye roll from Ian. “Why did they look—” I paused, unsure of the word to use. “Cursed?”
“Because they are cursed,” Kade muttered to himself, stepping over one of the slain bodies toward his associate. “We call them dark ones.”
As Ian approached closer, I scanned his body from top to bottom for any injuries. He moved rigidly, standing tall as he gave me a small shake of his head. “I’m okay.”
With my body now stationary, the wound on my arm throbbed and stole my attention. Blood dripped down my hand to my fingertips, and a sliver of white peeked through the skin. The bastard had cut through to the bone. I had forgotten about the injury during the heat of the battle, but the pain slowly returned now that my adrenaline waned.
The sound of a blade moving through the air came from behind us, followed by a thud .
Kade ripped the shirt from one of the dead Fae at his feet and crouched beside him, inspecting something on the body, looking for something. But what?
Despite the pain, my wound would have to wait, because right now, all my focus centered on Storm and Kade.
My gaze sharpened, and while my arm had dropped, I kept my knife still, and readily available. From the tip of my blade, a single drop of blood splattered to the ground. “What village did you say you were from again?”
Details be damned, we had to figure out who these men were. If Kade had powers as unique as Storm’s, we would need to know. Who were they really? I couldn’t stop the barrage of questions coursing through my mind.
Storm rose, standing straighter, visibly pressing his shoulder’s back. “We didn’t?—”
“Everywhere and nowhere, Hidden Henchman,” Kade jumped in, cutting off Storm. He drew his blade across the dirt-stained tunic of one of the dead men, cleaning off the blood. A small smile shadowed his face from beneath his hood.
Kade’s vague answer did nothing to ease my worries and left me with more questions than when I arrived. I held Storm's stare, ignoring his companion. “From now on, if you require something, go through the proper channels. This will be the last time we accommodate any request sent to me directly.”
Storm’s jaw ticked once but he nodded in agreement.
“I saved your life, and you treat us suspiciously?” Kade snorted.
Storm shoved his companion, who tsked but turned, bowing with a mocking flourish of his hand. “As you wish.”
Ian’s entire body tensed at the same time mine did—I could feel it.
He didn’t know. This Fae couldn’t ever know my secret. He was just being an ass. He hadn’t a clue he currently spoke to royalty, and his bow didn’t contain any sort of true reverence.
I hoped.
Meeting his gaze, I narrowed my eyes at him. Oh, what a mistake. A big mistake—because those eyes were as unique as Storm’s fire power. They appeared as though clouds of a thunderstorm itself had settled in them. The grey coloring stood out even more due to his tanned skin and midnight-black hair.
I swallowed, praying it wasn’t as audible as it felt. This particular Fae— Kade —may use his strikingly good looks to get what he wanted in any other situation, but I would not be swayed.
Turning away from the two men, I moved toward Ian, but my step faltered due to the pain in my arm.
Ian reached for me. “May I?” he asked.
Nodding my agreement, he immediately took in my injury, inspecting as much as he dared before we returned home. His gaze met mine and I realized he worried, likely thinking the same thing as me. “We’re leaving before anything else decides it’s out for blood tonight,” he said.
I stumbled over a rock, displaced from the fight. I attempted to right myself as fast as I could, while Ian clutched onto my good arm to lead me away. He’d observed the depth of the wound and knew I needed to see a healer, much to my dismay.
Besides, Ian had a point. If additional attackers returned, my assistance would be limited in my current state. Even if Storm and Kade’s magic outmatched any I’d witnessed, neither Ian nor I were prepared for another ambush tonight.
As subtle as possible, I looked at the two men once more. I refused to think about my lack of magic, my weaknesses , in front of strangers. Not wanting them to scent the fear I held so close to my heart.
“May nature guide you,” I said, imparting the line of luck all of Brookmere bestowed on friends.
Storm inclined his head, but Kade acted as if he didn’t hear. Asshole .
Ian didn’t wait to see if our companions walked away, instead quickly guiding us back toward the city walls. “At least Storm had his friend on a tight leash,” he huffed. Stopping in our tracks, he spun around to look me straight in the eye. “They’re dangerous.”
“It’s likely they can hear you,” I said. I didn’t look over my shoulder to perceive how far the two men were. Hurriedly, we moved toward the wildflower field once more. Clouds drifted freely through the sky, obscuring our moonlit path.
A soft caress touched my skin before we cleared the woods, likely my imagination as adrenaline from the battle faded.
A tremor coursed through me, and I tugged my arm from Ian. It quickly turned to all-out shaking, which took a few breaths to get under control.
His perceptive gaze studied my every movement as we continued. Clearly, he had concerns about what had happened tonight.
“You’re going into shock.” His eyebrows furrowed. “Come on, the quicker we’re inside the palace the sooner we can come down from the fight properly. And get this arm healed.”
My silence spurred Ian to intertwine his fingers in mine. “You did everything right. You were fantastic, Lan.”
I nodded, keeping up with him until we were practically jogging toward the safety of the palace walls.
Twenty minutes later, we married up with the shadows of the gates, slipping back inside the city through the grate, unnoticed, and moving along the cobblestone streets once more.
It should have been concerning how easily we could escape from the palace and city, but together, we’d done it enough times, it had become second nature. The consequences of getting caught were not ones we were willing to consider.
At the foot of the north end of the castle, Ian shifted his weight into the side of a large, loosened slab, revealing the tunnel we utilized to get in and out of the palace. Known only to a select few, it provided the perfect route into the palace, avoiding most of the guard stations.
Gingerly, I placed my uninjured arm against the cool rock, steadying the hammering of my heart. I stabbed someone. I helped kill someone. The blood coating my hand hadn’t come merely from my own injury, the “dark ones” blood mixed with it as well. The one man I’d killed, in particular.
A cursed man if Storm and Kade were to be believed.
What kind of curse plagued our lands so much so that it caused such feral aggression?
The meeting had promised to be strange, finding the letter requesting aid had reached Corbin directly at the castle, instead of being left at the forest drop spot he checked weekly. Add in the attack, and there were suddenly far more questions than answers.
As we moved through the tunnel, my wound throbbed, and an ache settled deep in my bones. The blood continued flowing. Damn it . I’d definitely need the healer. The deep injury would likely become infected if not cleaned properly. A wound like this would draw too many questions from the king and queen.
It should have been an injury I could handle on my own.
Ian looked back, his hand slick from sweat, mixing with blood from my arm. Ripping his mask off, he stuffed it into his pocket, steadying his hand on me.
“We need to get you to Elisabeth, quickly, before your arm becomes any worse.” Ian read my mind more often than I cared to admit. After knowing someone for twenty-two years, it was to be expected.
My breathing hitched, growing shallower as I panted harder with each step. The adrenaline rush depleted completely, and my body rebelled by reverting to a sluggish pace. I had to pause and place my head on the cool tunnel wall to steady myself. Ian pulled a small cloth from his pocket and wrapped it around the wound to avoid blood dripping on the palace floors.
Just a few more minutes. I could do this.
“Elisabeth said she would be in her room tonight,” I wheezed. “Just get me inside and then return to the barracks, before anyone asks any questions.”
“I will make sure you are safe before I take my leave,” Ian whispered, releasing my arm and reaching for my hand instead. “I will take the punishment if caught.”
I squeezed his hand. “Then let's hurry.”
Soon, the narrowing tunnel opened to the castle grounds, just outside the northern gardens. We sprinted through the gardens and grabbed the servants’ doors, leading to the kitchen. Ian creaked them open and peered in both directions. It may be the middle of the night, but our path still took us through a common area where anyone in the castle could linger.
I sucked in a breath. A shadow danced along the stone walls in the moonlight. Ian gripped my arm, noticing it, too. A figure approached.
Tension immediately dissipated as a spiky tail came into view, followed by the furry paws and body of the palace pugron. Despite its cute, smooshed nose, short stubby legs, soft fur, and friendly appearance, one wrong move, and the beast would light you on fire with its breath.
“Lucien,” I hissed as the playful stray wagged its dangerous tail in a flurry.
Ian knelt and the pugron rubbed along his calf as he petted the creature, careful to avoid the spikes on the beast's back as well. “Shh, good boy. Run along and make sure Lana’s scent is covered.”
Ian swore to the Fates themselves, to anyone who’d listen really, that the beast understood him. As the pugron retreated and retraced our steps, I believed him.
There weren't any other sounds now that Lucien strode away. Nature provided once again tonight, guiding us, undeterred.
We entered the castle itself, silently shutting the door.
Through the open glass windows, a shadow cast our path from the moonlight’s glow. We found a figure hunched over near one of the far counters, muttering and mumbling.
My body stiffened at the sight.
Ian clasped my hand, each of us recognizing the lone figure the moment their back straightened, before they had even turned upon sensing us.
“Andras?” I hissed, recognizing my father’s Royal Adviser in the middle of the night.
His back straightened fully as he whipped around. “Princess Illiana.” His tongue ran over his teeth as his mouth curved in a gruesome grin.
A grin that haunted too many nightmares.
Daggers above.
Of all the assholes to run into, it had to be this monster.
“What, pray tell, are you doing out of your chambers at this time of night?”
I shifted, subtly pulling my arm from Ian’s grasp and placing it behind me. “Andras, I could be asking you the same thing.”
“Your father woke with a fever and I’m gathering a cup of tea for His Royal Highness. Common in my role. What’s not common is a princess out with the help”—He looked Ian up and down with disdain—“in secret.”
“I couldn’t sleep, so I asked Ian to accompany me for a walk in the gardens. A bit of fresh air has helped to clear my head. I am on my way back to my room now,” I said, hoping my voice sounded bored and not as on edge as I felt.
Andras narrowed his eyes, unquestionably debating informing the king he’d found me with Ian when he returned to my father’s chambers. Sometimes I’d swear he could see right through me. “Captain Stronholm, return to the barracks immediately after Princess Illiana is in her room. We wouldn’t want any further rumors flying around about the princess, now, would we?”
People were far from subtle when speaking of the two of us. It felt like a slap in the face some days, the absolute disrespect for him, and me. Andras never cared of the way in which he spoke to me, out of line or not. “Good night to the both of you.”
He grabbed the teacup and saucer and strode forward, his long, curly onyx hair stiff beneath the golden circular cap he always wore as he exited the kitchen.
I released a heavy breath. “Bleeding hell. We need to move fast—I am starting to get dizzy.” The wound pulsed in my arm. I needed to get to Elisabeth now, or Ian would be carrying me the rest of the way.
Without additional interruptions, we made it to Elisabeth’s chambers. My partner in crime didn’t even bother knocking on her door, dragging me into the maiden’s chamber.
Elisabeth gasped as she realized who had barged into her room. “Lana! Ian! What happened?” She took me from Ian, ushering me into a tattered burgundy chair near her workstation.
Elisabeth’s small yet cozy room instantly made me feel safe. A four-person table sat by a stone hearth, and her bed rested underneath the window, overlooking the gardens below.
I winced as I unwrapped the cloth and showed Elisabeth my arm. Elisabeth muttered under her breath as she looked me over. “What have you gotten yourself into now, child?”
I tried to laugh, but it came out more as a choke, “Oh you know, a little bit of this, and a little bit of that. What haven’t you healed on me these past twenty years?”
Elisabeth clicked her tongue in reprimand. “I’ve been healing you since birth, don’t shorten me those two years, child. You need to be more careful.”
“Can you heal it?” I pressed. “Andras saw us in the kitchens. I can’t have the king asking any questions.”
She eyed me. Although old enough to be my grandmother and could demand I spill my secrets, she’d never pushed for answers when I arrived injured at her door. Some days I wondered if she had put together more than I gave her credit for.
“Well, it will be painful to press your body’s ability, but yes, we can heal this tonight. Ian, grab the brown woven basket on the table and we can begin.”
“My body has no abilities, Elisabeth,” I huffed. My frustration increased as I thought about how I couldn’t take care of this myself, unlike everyone else in our kingdom.
No abilities indeed. With my lack of power, I always had to rely on the strength of other’s magic in my times of need.
I held the title for not only being the first royal princess born without magic— ever —but also the first Fae born without any magic. Our kingdom could not find out about my lack of magical abilities, or there would be an uprising. The royal bloodline prided itself on being the strongest and mightiest of the lands, but even the peasants and lesser Fae on the streets held more magic than I did.
This dark secret had been kept by the king and queen, told only to Andras, Elisabeth, and my two friends I held close. If anyone else learned of this, I would never be allowed to take the throne.
I’d spent years in a cold room, experimented and tested on, as a way to coax magic from me, but nothing succeeded. After years of failing, I instead worked on hiding in plain sight to ensure no one questioned me, or my lack of demonstrating the kingdom’s magic, which should be prominently on display. I killed myself finding ways to charm the Court, fitting in with the mundane ways of royal life, all in an effort never to stand out. Blending in meant my secret remained safe, regardless of how painful it may be to constantly wear a mask to cover what I truly felt and who I truly was.
Which didn’t at all fit in with my running about as the Hidden Henchman. But the Hidden Henchman provided me with an escape, a way to do what I wanted, to be free from the confines of the palace. To be free to move throughout the land and do what I thought best for my people.
Ian returned with two chairs for both Elisabeth and himself, but as I attempted to stand to help him, my body swayed. Once, twice.
“She’s coming down from an intense evening, Elisabeth. She had another episode. I think she might?—”
One second, Elisabeth prodded the wound through Ian’s warning as the fire heated my body, and the next, my vision darkened, whisking me away to oblivion.