King of the Forgotten (Savage Garden #1)

PROLOGUE

Calista

“ W e made it,” I breathed as I took in the castle at the center of the labyrinth. After all I had encountered, it didn’t seem to be as scary as it was in the beginning. Jessandra’s wariness paused my personal celebration.

“I wouldn’t be so confident.” She raised her hand and felt the air along the threshold of the drawbridge. “I fear you will lose no matter what.”

Tears of anger pricked my eyes for the boy who wormed his way into my heart. “I followed his stupid rules!”

“Have you learned nothing from me, child?” Her intense gaze locked with mine. “Fae have no rules. Everything can and will be twisted to suit our needs and desires.” She snapped her long fingers in my face. “Just like that.”

Metal clinked and grinded. We turned to find a thick chain reeling in. The ground vibrated, then a loud groan echoed as the bridge pulled loose from the dirt. Bits of mud and grass clung to the wooden edge and between the slats as it rose from the ground.

“Roth’s balls!”

A sneer split my face. Boys and their bits are what got me here in the first place. And balls were gross. “I really wish you’d stop saying that.”

Jessandra smirked. “So does he.”

She looked over her shoulder, and her eyes widened. I followed her gaze and froze with shock. Goblins watched us as they ran for the bell tower, climbing up the ladder to reach the rope.

“It’s not time,” she whispered.

“He can’t do this!”

“ He can do whatever he pleases,” she hissed. Jessandra grabbed me and hoisted me up onto the rising bridge. “You must go. Now!”

I reached down and grabbed her arm, but my hand was sliding off quickly. “Come with me!”

She gave my hand a squeeze before the bridge lifted me too high to hold onto her. “This is not my journey. Astaroth will kill me on sight for guiding you. My debt to you is repaid. Pray to your god we never meet again.”

Kill her on sight? For helping me? I wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t kidnapped my brother to get even with me, but now…. All I could see were Roth’s furious, glistening eyes as they towered over me. Those speckled orbs that I loved so much swirled into an oblivion, devouring the starlight within until they hardened like obsidian and threatened to smash me where I laid.

The mud on the edge of the bridge made it hard to retain my grip as it rose higher. If I held on any longer, the drop would injure me. Then, my brother and I would be trapped here at the mercy of who I now knew as the Goblin King. I took one last look at Jess as the bell tolled. She was retreating into the alleyways of the city, chased by the guards that fought to keep us out.

“There she is!”

I peered over the edge to find a battalion of archers at the ready. All arrows pointed at my head. “Stop her!”

They released their arrows, and I let go of the bridge, sliding down into the courtyard of the castle. Splinters dug into the palms of my hands, but that was better than being pierced by the arrows thudding into the wood at my backside. When I hit the bottom, I toppled onto the cobblestone road leading to the castle doors. It towered ominously above me as I scampered backward on hands and feet out of the view of the windows. The sharp bits of wood stung my flesh as they pushed deeper inside my hands. Shadows covered my presence as I quickly picked the biggest shards out. One held so tight I had to use my teeth. I spit it to the ground, ignoring the bead of blood that followed as I took in the discolored concrete walls of the fortress ahead of me.

“Nothing is ever as it seems,” I muttered to myself as I crept forward on cautious tiptoes, surprised that no soldiers guarded the castle itself. With great care, I ran my hand along the wall until the concrete disappeared but still looked like it was there. “Aha.”

Hesitant, but running out of time, I stuck my head inside far enough to see and found a party of sorts. Goblins danced around singing a song I couldn’t translate. They shouldn’t be celebrating. They haven’t won! Exhausted and irritated, I stormed into the room. The goblins did a doubletake and grew silent with shock. Whether it was because I actually made it or from my stinky, disheveled appearance, I wasn’t sure. Probably both since those nearest me pinched their noses and fled my proximity.

“Where is he?” I demanded.

They glanced at one another before scattering into the shadows and through tapestries hanging on the walls. I would’ve gawked had I not already seen a million strange and disturbing things throughout the labyrinth. At the head of the room, curtains drew aside to reveal the Dark King himself, leisurely draped across his throne as if he were bored. My heart skipped when his head fell to the side the way it used to do when we laid on the forest floor together. His leather pants creaked as he righted himself and stood, reminding me how much he had grown since last I saw him. A smug grin appeared on his face. The boy I once knew was now maturing into a man.

“I am here.” His arms stretched out to his sides to present himself to me.

“Not you, you egomaniac!” The smirk slipped from his face, as if he were taken aback at my venomous name calling. “I made it before the bell tolled, as per your rules . Now give me my brother!”

Astaroth clicked his tongue. “Cali,” he sighed. The way he said my name always made me pause. It rolled off his tongue as if he struggled to let go of it. It pained me as much as it did him.

“No!” I stamped my sore foot to help me resist his charms, hands clenched at my sides. My jagged, broken nails dug into my palms.

His tall, lean body hardened as he came to a standstill. “No?”

My chin quivered with fear-fueled rage. “You don’t get to change things again. Say what you mean and mean what you say.”

Astaroth’s brows popped up, and his lips pinched together as if he were trying not to laugh. It infuriated me. Always had. I was bone-tired. My skin was dried out from the caked-on mud and dirt. It even matted my hair down. And my fingernails hurt from breaking off, and the dirt compacted under them. I was done. I couldn’t play his games any longer. I needed to know my brother was safe and to go home far away from this crazy place.

“I always do.” He paused, and when I didn’t contradict him, he clasped his hands behind his back and began to pace. “And I keep my word. You completed the labyrinth.”

His words stung as they slapped me. But at the same time, relief flooded me, and my shoulders sagged a bit.

“However,” Astaroth completed a sharp turn on his toes until he faced me and stopped. In all his pacing, I hadn’t noticed him getting closer. Satisfaction gleamed in his eyes, making the star-like specks glow brighter. “You cheated.”

I gasped. “What?”

“You were guided to the castle; therefore, you did not beat it.” He studied my shocked face. “I have eyes and ears everywhere. It’s a wonder Jessandra didn’t warn you of this.”

“Not once did you say I couldn’t ask for help.”

“Ah, therein lies the issue. You didn’t ask her for ‘help.’ You coerced her into beating the labyrinth for you. What easier way to win than to have someone who knows give you the answers?”

My face flushed from my hairline to my shoulders. If I were a cartoon character, flames would erupt from my head and steam from my burning ears. I did most of the work myself. I could already see the castle and was close to it when I came upon Jessandra.

“Jess didn’t guide me. She joined me,” I grated through clenched teeth.

“Humans and your pet names.” He chuckled.

“You didn’t mind your pet names,” I reminded him.

His gaze hardened as I forced him to remember our times together. “Regardless, you gave it your best. Unfortunately, your best wasn’t enough.”

The unspoken words hung in the air between us, held tight by the strings that once connected us and now bound his broken heart.

“That’s not fair! If you would just talk—”

He held up his hand. The air sucked out of my lungs, taking my words with it. “I will honor my word, though.”

Astaroth strolled over to the dais where the black drapes hung on either side with long, thick-tassled cords. He pulled on one, and the drape swung open revealing a person-sized birdcage. I ran to my brother, ready to take him home.

Kaiden uncurled himself as I approached. I nearly tripped over my feet as I cried out, “What have you done?”

His eyes were larger, darker, and more pronounced in his now graying skin. Sharp claws protruded from the tips of his fingers clutching the bars of his prison. He even looked smaller, as though he shrunk, and a small hump stuck up on his back beneath his neck.

“The moment you cheated, the change began.”

I covered one of Kaiden’s hands on the cage and reached through with the other, cupping his face. Tears formed in his eyes.

“It hurts,” he whimpered. “Make it stop.”

I spun toward Astaroth. “This is not keeping your word! Change him back, Roth.”

“Once the change has begun, the realm has staked its claim.”

“I can’t take him home like this!” I looked at my brother and wept for him. “Please change him back,” I begged.

Astaroth searched my gaze. Something rested deep within his that I didn’t quite understand. A want, a need… desperation… as he watched me console my brother. I had only seen it one other time when I got lost within their depths. I wondered if he’d ever had someone fight for him.

His voice lowered. “You would do anything for him.”

It wasn’t a question. It was an observation, albeit one he should have realized by now with the lengths I had gone to.

“Yes.” My chin quivered. “I have proven that at every twist, turn, and trick of your labyrinth.”

“Once a soul has been promised to the realm, I cannot undo it.”

“But—”

“To take a life, you must give a life.”

My brow furrowed. “You want me to stay in his place?”

Kaiden gripped my hand tighter, his claws drawing blood. “You can’t leave me,” he cried.

Pulling him closer to the bars, I tried to hug and soothe him. “Shh. I will do what I have to do to get you home. This is all my fault.” I pulled away and brushed the tears from his cheeks with my thumbs. “I love you, turd.”

I stepped to Astaroth, tears finally pooling enough to tumble down my dirt-stained cheeks. He watched each one as they dripped to the pristine black marble floor of his dais.

“No,” he stated.

Confused, I repeated him. “No?”

Astaroth didn’t move or twitch. He stood there in the same position, hands clasped behind his back, intensely focused on me. “I want something else from you, Cali.”

Relieved to hear that, an answer rushed out of my mouth before I could think. “Anything.”

Those orbital eyes began to twinkle, the way they did when I lost myself inside his mind, and I jerked my gaze down to his lips as they said, “I want your firstborn child.”

I moved backward with a gasp, bumping into the cage. Kaiden’s fingers dug into my shoulder, the sting from his claws helped ground me and clear my tired mind.

“Do we have a deal?”

I didn’t have a choice in the matter. There was no more negotiating. Agreeing to this would get us home. Another little crack formed inside me as another choice was taken away. It beat being trapped here, though.

“Yes,” I whispered.

Astaroth smiled and snapped his fingers. Energy pulsed through the room. The goblins, tucked into nearby hiding spots, shivered fearfully and scurried away. Kaiden returned to his normal self. His small, claw-free hands patted down his body in disbelief. The cage popped open, and I wasted no time pulling him out and clutching him in my arms. I refused to let his feet touch the ground. He must have felt the same. His legs wrapped around my waist and locked at the ankles.

“We shall meet again when the time comes.” Astaroth came to a stop in front of us. He pulled a long chain from around his neck that lay hidden beneath his ruffled shirt. “A gift for all you have endured, and what you have yet to give.”

I flinched, and Kaiden buried his face in my shoulder as Astaroth looped the necklace over my head, gripping the pendant in his palm. Using it like a leash, he jerked me closer, and I stumbled toward him. Those silent declarations screamed in the breadth between us. With a gentleness I no longer thought he possessed, he laid it on my chest over the scar he gave me years ago and placed his hand over it. His lips moved, but the words slipped free from my mind as he spoke them. My head grew foggy and began to throb. It felt like my brain shredded as the pain ebbed through my skull. I gripped my forehead and winced, and then it stopped. The metal warmed beneath his cool palm before he took a tired half step back.

The pendant was heavier than it looked. I lifted it with a shaky hand. It reminded me of Astaroth’s eyes. It was beautiful and terrifying.

“What is it?”

“It’s a wishing stone. It will make all your dreams come true.”

“It would be a dream come true for you to forget about me.”

“Fortunate for me,” he said with a sad smile I didn’t understand, “you can’t use my magic against me.”

I gripped the necklace in my fist. Too bad his wish would never come true. “I wish for my brother and I to go home.”

The last thing I remembered before the inky darkness swallowed us up was Astaroth’s lonely eyes and the echo of my name on his lips.