Chapter 12
FINN
Like you never want to stop.
I should've kissed her. Her full lips had parted on a sweet breath. It would've taken nothing to greet her softness with my mouth and finally taste her. I was no doubt going to die in these wretched lands.
Despite my unwavering belief in my ability, I wasn't that big of a fool.
The only way to defeat the Void would be to use the magic I swore to never touch. The Deadlands would force my beast from its shackles. I’d shred the very fabric of my soul if that’s what it took to break my curse.
To protect Arden and her realm from the darkness.
What would be left of me once he was set free? I could only pray that a fairy wish would be powerful enough to reset me in the aftermath.
Was it so wrong that I wanted to savor a piece of Arden before she realized a monster lurked at her side?
Despite my assurances to her, I was a coward. I hadn't kissed her. I’m fairly certain another perfect opportunity wouldn’t present itself before I was devoured by a puddle of boiling goo.
I watch her straighten herself as if remembering the very dangerous mission she's set us on. The glossy sheen to her eyes banks slightly. Licking her lips, she glances at my mouth one final time before falling back a step.
If I had kissed her, would she have welcomed it?
Her body says one thing while her words say another. I believe that she is physically attracted to me, but could that just be because I am different? We barely know each other, and yet I feel as if no one has ever known me better.
Arden sees me. I think that's what unsettles me the most about her. Those verdant eyes stare deep into my soul, pushing through the carefully constructed layers of the confident man I've hewn myself into becoming. The Queen sees the darkness in me, the parts I'd rather keep hidden.
Would she let a cursed man kiss her? Can she even accept my kiss? Fairy customs are foreign to me.
A new thought sparks, and my beast snarls.
"You've told me of your betrothal, but what of Elwood?"
Her sharp teeth sink into her lower lip.
"For a man determined not to let Elwood follow him, he is your preferred topic of conversation."
"I just want to make sure, Queenie."
"Make sure of what?"
"That the two of you never…"
I let the question hang in the air. Arden's brows pull low before they shoot towards her hairline. The skin under her eyes darkens as she looks away, suddenly very interested in the rotting leaves beneath her toes.
"I told you, it's not like that between us. It never has been. He made a few offers of marriage long ago, but I refused."
I don't know why I press, it's none of my business. The gods know this is a door I should leave closed for my own sake. Unable to stop my curious tongue, I venture forth into dangerous territory.
"Were there others?"
If the meadow around us wasn't already dead, her withering gaze would've turned it to ash.
"I became Queen at sixteen. My realm started dying soon after. I vowed not to marry to honor my betrothal. Taking a lover seemed in poor taste when many of my subjects were suffering."
I try not to seem too pleased with this information.
It wouldn't matter to me if she had been with a hundred males. I was hardly untouched myself. However, to hear the truth from her lips that this beautiful female has never had anyone give her pleasure makes something spark in my chest.
A need to teach her how pleasurable life can be. To learn her body as well as her mind and be the only one to bring her to such heights.
I really can’t leave without a taste of her now. It would be a shame for her to perish along with me unkissed.
"What about you?" she asks. "Is there someone in the human realm awaiting your return?"
The headiness from her confession dissipates into a bucket of cold water being thrown over me. I rub the back of my neck, unable to meet her gaze.
"Uh, no—not at present. I'm an adventurer, Queenie. A ship that longs for the seas, not a port. A bird that seeks the skies, not a nest. A—"
"I understand. No more metaphors, please." Crossing her arms over her chest, her wings send a rose-scented wind into my face. "So you've never—"
I can’t hide my cringe.
"I have, Queenie. Many times, with many different people."
"Oh."
One word and it burns me alive.
How can I make her understand? Is she upset by the fact that I've had lovers? Repulsed by it? I didn't know she existed, didn't know someone so perfect was out there.
Had I known there was someone who made me feel the way she does, I would've waited.
If things had been different.
It's almost like I've been dropped into my perfect life as a spectator. A final test to see all that could’ve been mine had I been born amongst my people. The price of my fairy wish is forsaking it all in order to gain freedom.
It is a sweet fantasy to wonder how life would’ve played out had I been raised in this realm. Taught to embrace my magic instead of shoving it down. If I had not been placed into the human world things between us could flourish.
If we had been born around the same time in the same world, we'd never have to say goodbye.
"How old are you, Queenie?"
She blinks up at me, clearly thrown off by my question. I don't want to talk about previous lovers anymore. I want to know more about her.
Licking over her teeth, she wrinkles her small nose.
"Two and a half centuries."
My feet pause in the grass. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but that answer is a surprise nonetheless.
"You don't look a day over twenty-five."
Arden nods.
"Fairies reach full maturity around then. I won't start to age again until I see seven centuries."
"I've always been partial to older women."
Curiosity sparks in her eyes.
"Am I older than you?"
"By a lot, Queenie." I trail a finger over her wing, delighting in her small shiver. "I'm thirty. Most humans wither and die by the time they're seventy."
"I see," she pauses. "Does it bother you? My age."
"Not even a little." I swallow thickly. "Just like I hope it doesn't bother you that—"
"Watch out!"
Arden's scream rips through the meadow.
She leaps at me. Her small body tackles me to the ground. I roll her beneath me on instinct as her arms lock around my neck. Rotting grass smears us in putrid brown stains as we slide through the mess.
The scent of death overpowers her sweet fragrance.
My hackles raise, and bastard that I am, I take a moment to savor the delight of her body beneath me. Present danger be damned.
Each one of her soft curves presses into my harsh contours. Her breasts pillow between us, teasing the neckline of her dress. The short hem rides higher on her thighs.
With a shuddering sigh, I grip the hilt of my sword and look up to see what caused her fear.
Pure darkness weaves between the petrified tree trunks. The rancid scent of rotting flesh and festering blood pours from the inky tendrils. Terrible power brushes against me, causing my beast to snarl.
Arden trembles. Cold pours from the entity, leeching the color from her face. Her magic is reduced to embers that spark from her palms, only to die in its presence.
I lurch to my feet, tucking Arden firmly behind me as I brandish my sword.
The power surges forward, splintering the trees and lacerating the ground. From where the grass has been cleaved, two halves separate, revealing boiling pools of black goo. A green-tinted haze covers the ground.
Rancid humidity makes my hair stick to my forehead.
Arden grips the back of my shirt. Her presence is the only reassurance I need to face this creature with honor instead of fleeing. The urge to run is there, just as it has been at every perilous moment I've encountered over the course of my life.
This is no pirate crew or enemy battalion. This is death come to reap our souls.
I am not just a treasure hunter looking for riches. I am a man with a female to protect. If I perish in these lands, so does Arden. I'd rather give myself to the darkness to spare her and her people from any more suffering.
Her good nature is rubbing off on me.
The goo snaps and writhes from between the broken ground. It slinks onto the grass with a hiss, rolling and collecting from each pool until a singular mass forms. The dark tendrils of power wrap around the figure, strengthening it until it rises into the air.
A pair of dark horns emerges from the goo.
Their deadly points are covered in an oily sheen that glistens in the low light. Two hands emerge next, each made of writhing goo and tipped in sharp claws. They gleam the same obsidian color as the towers spread throughout the Deadlands.
"I take it this is who we've come for," I call over the rising wind.
"The Void," Arden breathes.
It is more terrible up close.
The imposing figure ascends to a staggering height. Its horns graze the top branches of the deadtrees. From deep within the mass of swirling goo, two glowing red eyes emerge. The figure splits its top portion, exposing two rows of sharpened teeth.
Sinewy lips pull into a grotesque grin.
"A human," the Void purrs, voice rough with pleasure. "It's been an age since I killed one of your kind."
The creature scents the air with relish. Grime and goo slip from its curling black tongue. Greenish-brown vapors puff between its teeth.
"Your bodies decay beautifully." I stiffen as its gaze locks on Arden. "Oh, little Fairy Queen, never fear. Your bones will look lovely once consumed by my rot. It is time you join the rest of your kind in death."
My lips curl as my body goes rigid.
"Don't look at her," I snarl.
My head whips towards Arden. Her face is paler than I've ever seen it. The Void’s presence siphons her lifeforce. Withering like a bloom in winter, she sways on her feet. Only staying upright due to her hand on my shirt.
"Death is already upon you, little Queen. I can smell it," The Void chuckles. "Your magic is failing you. I destroyed the others at full power. You cannot stop me."
Arden's eyes begin to roll back. Her throat works as she tries to stop herself from throwing up. The power she radiates is all but depleted in the oppressive darkness. I have to act.
She needs me.
"Look over here, you ugly fuck!" I shout. "Your fight is with me."
The Void grins harder.
"Confident," it sighs. "I like that."
"I bet you do."
"If you wish to end me, you know where I am." It lifts its clawed hand. "That is if you survive this."
A spear of dark power streaks through the air.
The force of the blow rocks me back on my feet. It feels as if hot metal has been poured across my chest. Arden screams as the darkness descends on us. Oily sludge and dark blood seep through my shirt.
The Void disappears in a dark cloud, a throaty chuckle echoing in its wake.
I press a hand to my chest, snarling at the pain. It radiates through my whole body, making it hard to breathe. My vision blurs as I fall to the ground. This is different than when the goo consumed me before. I can feel the writhing fingers in my blood, racing towards my heart.
Arden sinks beside me, no more than a wraith of pale green and pink. I feel her small hands as they divest me of my shirt.
Her gasp of horror makes my blood run cold.
"Oh Spirits, Finn—"
"That's not the typical reaction when I take my shirt off."
"Be serious," she snaps, "and hold still. I need to burn out the infection."
Her magic brushes over me. Metal and roses coat my tongue. Her hands on my skin are a delight despite the pulsating pain tightening each of my muscles. I give in to her gentleness, letting her touch steady me.
It guides me away from the beckoning darkness I won't emerge from.
The longer she works on me with her fleeting magic, the more the pain begins to ebb away. My vision returns, as does feeling in my limbs.
I watch through half-lidded eyes as her hands glide over the harsh planes of my chest. Green magic flows between her palms, pulling out the writhing goo.
She traces fingers over each harsh ridge of my stomach. Sweat beads on her brow as her cheeks pale. I like holding her entire attention.
Being her singular focus is heady.
This is the most she's ever touched me. Despite death looming, I can’t help but want to test my luck. Just a little bit.
"I think you're enjoying this. Me, helpless, with my shirt in ribbons."
Arden glances at me with a raised brow.
"I need you in one piece for the mission."
"You break me, you keep me. Remember that, Queenie."
"That would be a tragedy as I do need you in working order."
"The real tragedy is my pants still being on."
Despite herself, she laughs. What starts out as a huff turns into a fit of giggles. The sound is sweet, prompting me to respond with my own laughter.
Here I am, lying after being dealt a deadly blow by a mysterious creature of unknown origins.Only to be laughing like a fool with the beautiful Fairy Queen I've sworn my life to in exchange for a fairy wish.
My sailors won't believe me when I tell them. If I ever get the chance to.
Gore continues to pour from the cut to my chest. It spans from my collarbone to my navel. Any good humor dies between us as Arden's eyes widen.
"Finn," she whispers, "I've done all I can. The infection—the Void's powers—it's too much for me to fight. You have to use your magic. It's the only way, or you'll die."
Despite knowing I'd have to reach for my terrible power again, I can't help but hesitate. I swore to never touch it. To shove it down until I could be rid of it forever.
With death looming and the pain surging inside of me again, I thrash on the ground.
"Queenie, I—"
"Please, Finn. I—I don't want you to die," she whimpers.
"You sent me on a mission where that was the most likely outcome."
Her lashes flutter at my words.
"I know, but that doesn't mean"—she shakes her head—"heal yourself, Finn. Please."
"You confuse me, Queenie."
She does. In more ways than I care to admit.
I've sworn a thousand vows to keep my beast caged, and yet the pleading look in her eyes has me unlocking his cell. I will do anything she asks, knowledge she will no doubt use to her advantage.
Golden light seeps from me, and the look of pleasure in her eyes makes me want to kiss her.
"Let it flow, Finn. I can help guide it. Don't be afraid."
Her gentle words and the radiating pain make me give in. I yield the golden fire to her. Arden’s hands tremble as it threads between her palms, coiling around her green tendrils. It strengthens their pale glow into sparkling emerald.
Our joined magic licks at my skin and burrows into my blood. Arden gasps at the strength of it. I watch as the goo hurriedly leaves my wound. Flames consume the darkness, eradicating each wriggling drop with a satisfying hiss.
The gnawing hunger strengthens as Arden expertly guides it. Bathing us and the barren meadow in golden light.