Chapter 5
FINN
At dawn, I was yanked from my silk bed.
Elwood was luckily absent from my rousing, but his two stone-faced accomplices had begrudgingly handed me over a sparkling dagger, a bag filled with rations, and supplies to make a meager camp.
If the food they packed was like the kind I'd been served last night, it would be a rough week ahead. Fairy food was ridiculously sweet. I'd need to take care on the trail, or I'd lose my teeth long before my life.
And I have plans for my dazzling smile.
After shackling my wrists in irons, they march me from the castle and towards the edge of the forest. Meadowmist seems like a deceptive name, as I'm seeing less verdant rolling hills and more perilous, overgrown trees and unkempt roots.
It's been a while since I trekked through a forest in search of riches, but with a fairy wish on the line, I'll do what I have to.
I had not been provided with a map or a compass. Clearly, the command of hunting the Deadlands for answers was enough of a directive for me to make do. Even for a male of my skills, I still required basic directions.
I wasn't that capable.
Luckily for me, I'll have an expert in the terrain accompanying me. She just didn’t know it yet.
Elwood stares daggers, baring his sharp teeth as I approach. His green armor is the same as it was yesterday. The morning light makes the scale glitter. My gaze quickly shifts away from him towards the Queen. I ignore his soft snarl.
She is lovelier than she was yesterday.
Green eyes blink up at me atop her sparkling freckles. The gentle, floral-soaked breeze tosses her curls. Sharp teeth press into her lower lip, and I wonder what they would feel like against my tongue, on my skin, along my c—
I shake myself and don't allow my gaze to travel any further than her face.
Her gown is as it was before. A whisper of silk that hugs her small frame and allows swaths of naked flesh to be exposed in the morning light.
Gossamer, pink wings flap gently at her back, making her feet hover an inch above the glowing grass.
Queen Arden wears no crown, but her power is evident. I feel the brush of it against my skin, kindling the gnawing hunger deep within me.
My two captors release me at the forest's edge. Elwood eyes me warily. He is right not to trust me, but that doesn't mean I like the proprietary step he takes towards the Queen.
"Miss me, Queenie?"
Elwood bares his sharp teeth, but the Queen merely inclines her head.
"I trust you slept well."
"Very. My dreams did not do you justice. You are more bewitching than I remember."
"Watch yourself," snaps Elwood. "You do not speak—"
"Calm, Elwood. Finn is risking his life for us. We owe him our respect."
Any further tease halts on my tongue. The openness of her expression warms my heart.
Respect is not something I often come by in my line of work. It is kill or be killed, the haves and the have-nots. I've been known to lie, cheat, and steal to make ends meet. I've done things I'm not proud of.
I'm planning on doing another very soon.
Arden has never been forced into such a role. Her soul is as clear as her emerald eyes. I can see it—scent it. I will do everything in my power to not allow her to become tainted like me. There has to be goodness in this world, and she is it.
"What am I meant to be doing again?" I ask.
The Queen's eyes return to mine. I watch her face settle with authority. If the situation were different, I'd gladly take orders from her for the rest of my days. The gnawing inside my gut reminds me why that isn’t an option.
The thrill of another adventure, even one that seems perilous, hums in my veins.
"Meadowmist is slowly being infected by an entity not from this world.
As I said, we call it the Void as it consumes everything in its path and leaves behind only death.
Its power comes from hulking, obsidian towers that ripple with dark power.
From them sprout deadtrees. Their thick branches and oily leaves block out the sun's power and allow the rot to spread and fester. "
"How did it come here?" I ask. "The Void?"
Queen Arden shakes her head.
"We do not know. Our scholars surmise it is a world-eater. A being that travels through realms, consuming them for power."
"And you don't have any idea how to kill it?"
"If we knew how to destroy it, why would we be entrusting you with such a task?" Elwood growls.
I shrug.
"Maybe it's been an issue of male competency?"
Elwood's face turns purple as his hand grapples for the dagger at his side. Arden holds up her hand, exasperation marring her lovely face.
"There was a prophecy foretold after the Void’s arrival," Arden explains. "'When the Golden Sun returns, will the Darkness recede'."
I gesture towards the blazing orb bearing down on us. Sunlight seeps between the trees and warms my covered shoulders.
"You seem to be well protected."
"For now," the Queen agrees, "but soon the Void's rot will broaden.
Obsidian towers have been spotted not far from here.
Our scouts have discovered that the structures are impervious to our mist-magic.
If we don't find a way to destroy them and the Void, it will not be long before my kingdom falls to the Deadlands. "
"The Void, the Deadlands, deadtrees, quite the perilous adventure you're sending me on, Queenie."
Arden's lips twitch.
"It is a task worthy of a fairy wish. Find me a way to destroy the towers and stop the Void, and whatever you desire will be yours. Good luck, Finn. You'll need it."
My eyes remain on hers as Elwood stomps over and relieves my shackles. I rub the feeling back into my discolored skin. I glance around the yard. Clearly, the Void and its Deadlands have decimated her ranks.
This is the most meager royal envoy I've ever seen.
There is Elwood, and the two guards who dragged me from my room. Beyond that, we are alone in the clearing. The Queen is only a few feet away.
I'm a bastard, but I have to do this.
Elwood would rather see me dead than the kingdom succeed. If I steal his glory by defeating the Void, I may not make it back to reap the benefits.
I need an assurance that he and the others will keep their distance while I complete the fairy bargain. There is only one way to ensure they stay far from me. I loathe what I must do, but it is the only way.
Stretching my arms over my head, the Queen's gaze slides down my front. I use my relaxed movements to amble a few steps forward. Elwood bares his teeth, but neither he nor the Queen retreats.
"I'd hate for this to be goodbye, Queenie."
Elwood bristles. Arden's mouth curls up on the side, and warmth spreads throughout my veins.
"It won't be if you succeed." Her wings flap gently, gliding her closer to me. "Destroy the darkness and the wish will be yours."
I can feel heat pouring from her body. Invisible strings tie us together in knots. The breeze from her fluttering wings traces over my face. Roses fill my lungs.
"A fair trade." My smile spreads. "One I would've done had you merely offered me a kiss."
Queen Arden leans forward as Elwood lurches towards me.
"Why you insolent—"
"Forgive me, Queenie," I whisper, cutting off Elwood's tirade. "This isn't personal."
She blinks as I lunge forward. The dagger in my hand presses against the delicate skin of her throat. She gasps as I pull her hard against my chest.
Her wings tickle my chin. Her bare feet snag on my leather-covered ones.
"While I trust you to keep your word, Queen Arden, your errand boy, on the other hand"—I glare at Elwood—"would rather see me run through than find the answers you seek. I can't risk him coming after me the moment I set off. I need that wish, Queenie. Bad."
"Unhand her!" Elwood yells, unsheathing his sword. "We would never disobey our Queen's orders. Let her go at once."
I hold onto Arden tighter, enjoying the feel of her body against mine. I’m going to the hells’ deepest pits as I breathe her in with relish. Every hard muscle fits snugly against her softness. Queen Arden doesn't thrash in my grip.
"Stay back, Elwood," she orders. "All of you."
I level a glare at her royal envoy.
"Here's the deal, fairies. I'll go into Meadowmist, figure out a way to slay this demon and its deadly towers. I'm bringing your Queen along with me to ensure I'm not double-crossed." I press the blade more firmly against her neck. "If I get even an inkling we are being followed, I'll kill her."
Arden jolts back against me. Glaring up over her shoulder, her eyes frost over.
"What about your wish?" she hisses.
"Make sure they don't follow, and we'll both get what we want."
The way she's looking at me makes my stomach hollow.
I hate the mistrust in her gaze, but it can’t be helped. She called my bluff. I need her alive—I'd never actually hurt her. But I can't risk my one chance at securing the wish.
I have enough dangers to face ahead of me. I don't need one jilted lover stabbing me in the back before I make it a day into my journey.
"You don't know what you are doing," Elwood snarls. "If she is killed—"
"Then you better leave us in peace," I spit. "If you make good on your word to not follow us, I'll protect her with my life."
Elwood's hands tighten on his sword. A battle wages on his face. He wants to cut me down for threatening his Queen and for a far more obvious reason that I can't help but smirk at.
Glancing towards the stone path behind us, I renew my grip on Arden. Her heart hammers under my forearm as I do my best to ignore the pillowy softness of her breasts. I really am a bastard. I shouldn't be enjoying this as much as I am, given she'll never allow me to touch her again.
"Release her, human. I will not tell you again."
"Enough," Arden whispers. "Stand down, Elwood. I will go with Finn."
Her body against mine. My name on her tongue—I nearly double over with pleasure.
If all it takes is her words to affect me, I can hardly imagine what seeing her naked will do. Not that I'm likely to get the pleasure of such a vision. Regardless, I have an active imagination.
Our adventure into Meadowmist is going to be beautiful torture.
"Elwood, inform your father he is to lead in my absence. I will return to you all unharmed"—her eyes burn me alive—"and with answers."
"Arden, I beg you—"
"Time to go, Queenie. Daylight's a-wasting."
Her glare slices through my soul. For once, the gnawing in my stomach has fallen silent. My beast is disgusted with my actions.
The silver at her throat glints as I pull us towards the path.
"I'd say it was a pleasure meeting you all, but it wasn't," I say.
With Elwood's parting growl echoing behind us, I drag the Queen into the forest and towards the danger that will surely kill us both.