CHAPTER ELEVEN
BARON
Oronrel
Coming to the Unseelie Kingdom is the sort of batshit crazy thing I never would have done a few months back. Now, I find myself wondering what exactly possessed me to give a damn about these people who call themselves my allies. Somehow I’ve started to care about what happens after we stop Variant. I blame Pyre. If he hadn’t shown me what it means to have a real friend, I wouldn’t risk my neck to save two people I barely know. And, judging by the look Dragan gives me, he’s thinking along the same lines.
Noni sits on Dragan’s shoulder, holding on to his hand as we walk toward the front entrance of the palace. A light sweat begins to glisten on her forehead, and I wonder if we’re asking too much of the little brownie. But the look of determination on her freckled face says she wouldn’t take no for an answer, even if I tried to discourage her from coming with us. It must take a huge toll on her strength to keep all three of us invisible to the eyes of the soldiers.
We pass through the first gate and I’m absolutely stunned by the sheer lack of guards lining the walls. Theren’s arrogance is rivaled only by Variant’s. I scoff and hurry along. No need to push our luck, even if our enemy is surprisingly stupid. Noni keeps us invisible as I slowly open the door and slip inside. Dragan and I peer into the dark halls of the Unseelie Palace.
Oronrel is beautiful, even to a soulless vampire like me.
Petrified wood floors and stone walls are softly illuminated by black marble braziers that sit between enormous ornate columns. We pass through the main hall and step into the throne room. My eyes widen at the sight of obsidian floors so polished, I’d be able to see my reflection if I weren’t invisible at the moment. The throne of jagged shards of black onyx sits at the far end of the room, leaving an impression of majesty on anyone who enters. I am no different.
Noni leads us out of the throne room and into another corridor. With her guidance, we make our way down a flight of crumbling stairs to a large door fashioned from black tourmaline crystals. The key is nowhere in sight.
“Soul rune,” Noni whispers in my ear. “It judge your darkness. Don’t let light inside. Noni can’t open.” She points to Dragan, who clenches his jaw and shakes his head. But one pout from the house brownie has the big gargoyle pulling back the sleeve of his tunic and flattening his palm on the door.
Sharp blades shoot out from the rune. Dragan grits his teeth and sucks in a harsh breath as his blood pours down the crystal entrance to the dungeon. The runes flare to life and the lock begins to click and churn just before the door swings open. Dragan looks down at his hand and glares at me. I shrug and point to Noni. She smiles brightly, despite the menacing look that comes her way.
We move swiftly through the dungeon, checking each of the cells.
“Mr. Vampire,” Noni says as she whispers from beside Dragan’s ear. I frown at her and she blushes slightly. “Noni not sure if she can continue to make everyone invisible. She tired and has used much of her power. Noni don’t know if she can make Aima and Kolvar disappear too.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll fight our way out if we have to.”
The truth is that I have no interest in getting locked up in some Unseelie dungeon for the rest of my miserable existence.
Noni jumps from Dragan’s shoulder to mine, then climbs inside my cloak and peeks out over my shoulder as I walk along the aisles. Something in the very last cell catches my eye. Aima’s necklace twinkles in the faint light spilling in from the small window of the grimy little room. I remember it from the morning Raflamir betrayed us. She has a habit of toying with the chain. The moment I walk over to the gate, her eerie black eyes flicker up to mine. A sly smile curls her lips.
“You crazy son of a bitch,” she chuckles. “I never thought I’d be happy to see a vampire, but gods, am I glad you’re here.” She stands and moves closer to the bars as Dragan comes down the other end of the dungeon. The two of them share a nod of acknowledgment.
“Are you hurt?” I ask her.
“I’m fine,” she answers immediately. “Kolvar didn’t fare so well. And I’m not sure how you’re going to get him out. He’s heavy as hell, and most of the bones in his body are broken.”
“What the fuck happened?”
“He was stupid enough to save my life,” Aima replies reluctantly.
“Fucking fuck,” I say as I turn to face Dragan. “Our jobs just got harder. Kolvar can’t fucking walk.”
“Just get the damn door open and stop yapping,” Aima snorts and points to a mirror hanging on the wall. “You brave enough to stick your hand in there? ‘Cause that’s where the key is.”
“What’s it do?” Dragan asks.
“If you’re not one of Theren’s guards, the reflection will turn to liquid and it’ll burn you like acid.”
“Great.” Getting them out of here will be a lot harder than I’d thought. So much for a quick in-and-out mission. “Where are the guards?”
***
DRAGAN
Oronrel
Why the hell are we here? This has become a fucking death mission.
Revenant passes Noni to me and shuffles off to some dark place down the corridor, leaving me stuck babysitting the sarcastic Unseelie woman and Pyre’s house brownie. I run my hands along the bars, feeling ice accumulate the more I touch them. It’s a cold that almost feels hot against my skin. Only once before have I felt a spell like that, and that was long before Theren’s betrayal.
“Your sister—”
“No, I don’t want to talk about my sister,” Aima interrupts.
I grit my teeth. “These are her spells. If she’s alive, she can help.”
“She isn’t alive. Why do you think I teamed up with Kolvar and Pyre?”
“I didn’t know,” I start. “I’m sorry.”
She nods and I can see the pain in her eyes. “My sister was killed by someone even more powerful than Variant.”
“Who?”
“I don’t fucking know. But, they used her blood and her body like some sort of sacrifice and sucked the magic right out of her fucking soul.”
“Soul sacrifices are forbidden by the gods.”
“Look around, gargoyle,” Aima sneers as she gestures with her hand and glares at me through the enchanted bars. “Do you think the gods are still listening? Because if there’s anyone out there that still gives a shit about the realms, they’d be down here kicking ass right next to us.”
“You’ve been free a lot longer than I have,” I spit back at her, irritated with her fucking attitude. “If it escaped your notice, I was banished to the Shadow Realm for years. Whatever happened after the war was lost... Cambion, Revenant, and I are completely unaware. So why don’t you fill me in?”
Aima hesitates. She glances back over her shoulder at Kolvar and releases a long exhale. “The Lexicon is useless. Everything we thought we knew was bullshit.”
“How do you know?”
She shrugs. “I’ve heard Theren talking through his mirrors to someone. That someone says there was a great darkness that broke into the Hall Of The Gods and killed them all. It’s what caused the Singularity.”
“I thought there was no way of knowing how the Singularity started?”
“Lies. Everything the Lexicon told us is a lie.”
“Then what about Morrigan and the others?” I insist. “They aren’t gods, no, but they’re primordial beings with immense powers. Why aren’t they dead?”
Aima shakes her head. “Theren thinks there’s one god left, one who slammed the door and locked that dark force inside. That deity is named Silvanus and he was once an ally to Morrigan. Apparently, they banded together to set the balance right. Silvanus was the one who created the oath that Morrigan used to bind the four of you.”
“Why aren’t they still allies?”
“I don’t know what caused them to part ways, but Theren says Silvanus knows where the dark force is and he knows where Morrigan’s powers are locked away.” Aima winces and lowers her eyes. “Theren wants to sit on the throne of the gods.”
“The Midnight Queen said Theren and Variant took her powers with an enchanted object and imprisoned her in the tower.” My head is spinning. Aima doesn’t have time to reply, because Revenant arrives with a random arm dangling over his shoulder. I guess he found one of the guards.
The vampire shoves the limb through the mirror and uses it to snag the keys. He lets out a whoop of excitement and hurries over to unlock the gate to the cell. I follow him inside and get a closer look at Kolvar. Half the satyr’s face is bashed in and his broken jaw hangs loosely. Bruises, gashes, and obvious signs of torture litter the large male’s body. Nothing we can do to him can be worse than what he’s already been through, so I don’t waste any time lifting him to his feet.
“Noni can’t hide all of you!” the brownie squeals.
Aima runs into a room beside the dungeon and emerges with a sword. “Don’t worry. This isn’t the first time I’ve snuck out of this palace. There’s a series of tunnels, and one leads right to the outside gate. There will be guards blocking the south gate, but nothing we can’t handle.”
Noni nods and climbs back into Revenant’s cloak. We start hustling after Aima, who weaves through the halls of Oronrel with practiced ease. She pushes open the door to the tunnels and ushers us inside. Kolvar wakes from all the jostling. He can’t speak, but I see the gratitude in his eyes. It makes me uncomfortable.
Last time someone looked at me like that, I betrayed them by allowing a succubus to seduce me during the war. Cambion. I take a deep breath and remember the words Thoradin said to me in the graveyard. I wish I had cherished my old friend's loyalty when it mattered most.
“How far?” I shout.
“Not long now. We're almost there…” Aima ducks as a broadsword swings for her head. A swarm of Unseelie guards attack. I lean Kolvar against the tunnel wall and reach for my own sword. Revenant's daggers carve through our enemy with that unnatural speed. Aima is right by his side, taking out her brethren to ensure we make it out alive.
When an opening presents itself, I lift Kolvar again and race toward the exit. Revenant and Aima cover our retreat, and she uses a burst of magic to collapse the tunnel behind them. Three soldiers manage to make it through at the last minute. I watch as the vampire and Aima battle to even the odds of our survival.
“Those who commit treason shall be punished by our King!” The last soldier lunges at Aima, swinging a battle axe right at her. She dodges the attack and batters her fist into the Unseelie soldier’s side, knocking him off balance before plunging her sword into his belly. She kicks him off her blade and sheathes her weapon with a surprisingly empty look in her eyes.
Noni leads us back to the portal and I can’t help but notice that Aima has slowed significantly. She stops entirely as the portal opens.
“I can’t go with you,” she says.
“Why the fuck not?” I demand and Revenant looks at her like she’s lost her mind.
She smiles in a way that says she realizes the effect her words are soon to have. “Because, I fucking love Theren. I may not agree with the way he rules, but I love him.”
“We aren’t leaving without you,” I answer.