Chapter 5
My heart was hammering in my chest as I raced toward the outer gates. Just before I got there, I brought my fingers to the amber stone at my throat. “The Wraith King is here,” I whispered to Azure. “You know what to do.”
By now, my dragon had likely sensed the commotion and drawn closer to the castle in case I needed her. Sure enough, her voice sounded in my head.
“I will follow the carriage. Don’t worry, Sybelle, I know your scent better than anyone’s. I will not leave you alone.”
Relief and warmth filled my chest. At least there was still one friend I could count on.
I would not be alone.
My chin lifted as I strode through the gates. Father and Orla were already standing with the guards, backs straight and expressions grim as they waited for the carriage to draw closer.
With a deep breath, I positioned myself on Father’s left side, my eyes fixed on the valley that curved between the twin mountains. In the distance, I could hear horse hooves crunching along the gravel path.
My heart thundered a riotous rhythm, and my pulse quickened as the sounds drew closer.
Then, a black carriage appeared, rounding the curve of the valley.
My chest constricted at the sight. It was twice as big as our largest carriage.
An eerie gray fog billowed behind it, an echo of the shadows waiting for me in the Wraith King’s court.
The horses were not horses at all but massive skeletal beasts with gleaming red eyes.
Their thin, membranous, black skin barely covered their bones, revealing rib cages and muscle.
It wasn’t until the carriage was a few paces away that I realized the dark shapes along the beasts’ backs were wings that had been tucked in.
Wings.
These creatures could fly .
Stones, what am I getting myself into? I didn’t want to know what hellish realm these creatures came from.
But that realm was going to be my home. Bile crept up my throat, my stomach churning with unease.
Shadows swirled as the carriage stopped and the doors opened of their own volition.
I had a wild thought that perhaps the carriage was alive before I noticed the spindly creature hanging on the door handle, holding it open for the occupant.
I blanched, realizing the scaly beast had blended into its surroundings like a chameleon.
It wore no clothes and had a long tail that flicked behind it.
I swallowed hard, trying to maintain my composure.
From within the carriage, a large figure emerged.
My heart galloped in my chest at the sight of him.
He had olive green skin, also like a reptile.
His gleaming yellow eyes seemed to glow like lamplights as he surveyed the entourage awaiting him.
Two sets of white curled horns rested atop his head, and a pair of leathery green wings was perched atop his shoulders.
They were so small, though, that I doubted they would be able to hold him up at all, which made me wonder what their purpose was.
The unseelie fae gracefully stepped down from the carriage. He wore an immaculate mauve suit with a fine-trimmed waistcoat. A long, thin tail extended from his rear and slithered along the pebbled road behind him as he approached .
Stones, was this the Wraith King? His form was much more diminutive than I would have expected. He couldn’t have been more than a few inches taller than I was, and he was rather scrawny, too. Certainly not the formidable hellish beast I’d heard whispers of.
Beside me, Father stiffened, his eyes narrowing with distaste. “What is this?” he barked. “Where is the king?”
My mouth went dry. This wasn’t the Wraith King?
“King Maddox.” The green-skinned fae bowed deeply before replying. “My lord sends his deepest apologies. He is detained at the moment and sent me in his stead to fetch his human bride.”
“I will not sacrifice my oldest daughter to anyone less than the husband promised to her,” Father snapped. “I will certainly not hand her over to some unseelie creature I’ve never seen before.”
I barely refrained from rolling my eyes. Father had no qualms with giving me over to a stranger. He was only offended the king hadn’t deigned to grace us with his presence.
The fae bowed again. “Forgive me. My name is Clermont. I am the king’s steward. I assure you, your daughter is safe with me.”
“How am I to believe you? The moment she is out of sight, perhaps you intend to devour her like some cobra.”
“Father, the fae cannot lie,” I said without thinking.
Father’s eyes flashed as he cut a glare at me. “Be silent, daughter,” he growled.
My mouth clamped shut, and I bowed my head in submission, but Clermont only chuckled.
“She is correct,” he said. “I cannot lie to you. Rest assured, my king would be here if he could. He would not have sent me in his place if the matter were not urgent. Your daughter is needed as soon as possible.”
My eyebrows lifted. “Why?” As far as I knew, the Wraith King demanded a human bride every generation as a show of good faith between our kingdoms. In exchange, he kept his shadows from invading our kingdom.
But perhaps there was more to it than that.
Perhaps there was another reason he required a human princess.
“ Sybelle ,” Father ground out, gripping my arm tightly enough to bruise.
“If I am to be handed off to this stranger, I deserve to know why!” I said, my temper flaring.
“The king will explain more to you once you arrive,” Clermont assured me. His gaze shifted to my father, then back to me. I wondered if the Wraith King had forbidden him to give more information before taking me.
Or perhaps he didn’t trust my father with the entire truth. I couldn’t exactly blame him.
“Please gather what you need for the journey,” Clermont said, his gentle and soothing voice in contrast to his reptilian appearance.
“But I have been instructed not to return without you.” He stood straighter, arms behind his back, as if to show he would not be moved until I joined him in the carriage.
A tense silence fell between us. I could practically smell the fumes of rage seeping from my father. His grip on my arm tightened.
“Our agreement was for the king himself to come and claim his bride,” Father said tightly.
“Actually,” Clermont said, withdrawing a worn scroll from his breast coat pocket, “I have the contract right here. It says nothing of the Wraith King coming himself. It only says the Earthen Court supplies its eldest daughter to wed him upon his request.”
Father’s lips became so thin they almost disappeared into his face. “May I inspect the document, please?”
“Of course.” Clermont extended the scroll. A soldier took it and brought it to my father, who immediately opened it and began reading. “Please be aware that is a replica of the original agreement, which is in the care of my king.”
Father huffed, but I couldn’t tell if it was out of annoyance or frustration. Was he hoping it was the original document? I would have been tempted to try to burn the contract if it had been in my hands. I wondered if Father was thinking the same thing.
The shadows are almost here, I reminded myself. Without this contract, we had no way of protecting our kingdom.
Grumbling under his breath, Father rolled up the scroll and handed it back to the soldier. “Regardless of the terms,” he said, “this is highly improper.”
“I understand, and I apologize again. But it is essential the princess come with me, per the terms of our bargain.”
More silence fell. Sweat beaded along my brow. Part of me wanted to bolt—to flee from the scene and escape with my freedom—while the other part wanted to stride confidently toward the carriage to accept my fate.
When Father continued to say nothing, I inhaled deeply and turned to look at him. “We have prepared for this, Father. I am ready.”
He fixed a stony look at me, his expression unreadable. A muscle worked in his jaw, and his nostrils flared. After a long moment, he nodded tersely, then snapped at a nearby soldier. “Send for the Lady Sybelle’s things at once.”
The soldier bowed and scurried away. I watched him leave, then tensed when my father’s arms came around me. The motion was stiff and unfeeling. I wasn’t sure if he had ever held me in my entire life.
But it was only for show. When I was pulled to his chest, he whispered in my ear, “Do not forget your purpose, daughter. My men know to pack your daggers with your belongings. I trust you will not fail me.”
When he withdrew, he plastered a warm smile on his face that did not reach his beady black eyes. His gaze flashed with a warning—and a threat—as he released me.
I curtsied to him. “Farewell, Father.” I was only able to nod at my sister. My nerves were too tightly wound to manage a proper goodbye. It was already taking all my effort to remain upright.
Orla’s expression was cold and unfeeling as she surveyed me with cool detachment, as if these proceedings meant nothing to her. She almost seemed bored.
Each step toward the carriage seemed to take an eternity. More sweat slid down my neck and between my shoulder blades. I fixed my gaze on the billowing shadows that drifted behind the carriage like a cape flapping in the wind. My brow furrowed.
“Are those dangerous?” I pointed to the shadows.
I heard my father swear softly behind me, but Clermont followed my gesture with curious interest.
“No, my lady,” he supplied. “You will find in our kingdom that there are different types of shadows. This is the Umbra Mist that follows us when we leave our court. It is harmless to both fae and humans.”
Fascinated, I inspected the shadows with more scrutiny. Now that I thought about it, the mist did look thinner and more transparent than the thick, rolling shadows I’d spotted from the castle towers.