Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Deirdre
All that effort, and we were still no closer to escaping. If this wasn’t life or death–or worse than death, if Kane got his way with me–I might have given up then and there from the sheer futility of it.
My legs barely held me upright, my knees quivering. I clutched the back of Crispin’s shirt, my breath hitching as a thousand frantic thoughts surged through me, each more desperate than the last.
All Father, please, keep us safe.
As I prayed, Crispin slowly let his pack slip to the ground and unsheathed his sword. As much as I loved him and as capable as he’d always proven to be, the fact was, this was not a fair fight. Even an army of Crispins might not be enough to overcome a powerful being like Kane.
Most kings would send an enforcer to do their dirty work. The fact Kane hadn’t proved his fearlessness. Kane was indestructible. Invincible.
Immortal.
Which promised a harrowing future for me if he won… which was exactly why we had to fight back, even if it seemed futile. Because I’d rather die trying to escape him than be forced to live, and lie, under his rule. Crispin and I had built a life together, and I refused to let that go.
The Deathless One eyed us as one would when they thought you were insignificant.
Dirt smudged across the corded muscles of his chest. Bits of snapped twigs and leaves stuck to a few of his twisted braids.
There was nothing kingly about his appearance.
In fact, he appeared more like the savage fae stories I’d heard growing up.
His disheveled appearance didn't seem to bother him. In fact, I found it extremely unnerving how someone as important as King of the Fae was out here chasing us like a bunch of runaway hens.
“This is all very unnecessary,” he said, slipping his hands into his pockets. “There’s no reason to fight when you know she’s been mine since birth.”
“She’s not going with you.” Crispin gestured for me to stay behind him.
“Your tenacity is admirable. Futile, though.” Kane strolled closer. “You see, the human and I must fulfill the ancient prophecy. Only our union can bring balance back to the lands.”
His eyes rolled a bit as he said it, as if he didn't believe it himself.
Which made little sense, because why would he come for me if he didn't care about the prophecy? There were plenty of fae for him to marry.
“Tell them I'm dead,” I blurted out, moving out of Crispin's protective stance.
Kane cocked his head to the side.
“You can tell them you weren't able to find me and that I died a long time ago. No one has to know the truth.”
“I am many things,” Kane said. “A liar is not one of them. You will do what you were born to do.”
“No!” I tossed my pack to the ground. “I won't. I’ve moved on. Crispin and I are already married and there’s nothing you can do to change that.”
“Except make you a widow.” Kane smirked, his gaze moving toward Crispin. “You were the one who struck first. As a king, it is my right to respond. Your arrogance will be your undoing.”
“You’re not our king,” Crispin spat back. “We owe no allegiance to your kind.”
Glancing between the two of them, I wondered what happened before I arrived. Crispin wouldn’t have been foolish enough to attack the king first, would he?
Or what if Kane referred to me? I had attacked him.
“Very well. If you want to fight…” Kane took his hands out of his pockets and held them wide, lifting his palms to the sky. Shadows seeped out of them, swirling around his hands and his arms. “Then a fight you shall have.”
He reared back his right arm and shot a globe of darkness at us.
Crispin grabbed my arm and spun me out of the way. “Go, remember the plan.”
“I'm not leaving you,” I argued back.
Holding up his sword, Crispin charged forward, ready to defend me until his dying breath. But that’s not what I wanted! We were a team.
Kane sidestepped as Crispin’s blade harmlessly passed him. Crispin pivoted, using the momentum to his advantage. He came back again in a sweeping attack, nicking Kane's arm. Not a large wound, but enough to prove that the Deathless One bled like the rest of us.
A flicker of surprise danced in his eyes, and a slow, amused curl tugged at Kane’s lips as if he found our terror entertaining.
“It’s been a long time since that’s happened.” Seemingly entertained by Crispin’s attack, the shadows in the fae king’s hand morphed until they became a black blade, the misty substance transforming into solid darkness.
He parried Crispin's next strike.
There must be something I can do. Anything.
A massive oak hung over us, its branches thick with summer leaves.
Holding out my hand, I called to the wood, becoming one with it.
Using my ability, I manipulated the wood, bending it with my will.
Using one of the large branches, I tried to get close to them, but they were moving too quickly.
Crispin became a blur as he weaved in and out around Kane, his swordplay sharper, his moves faster.
Berserkers, like Crispin, were powerful. Even though they couldn’t spew magic from their bodies, their ability with the element of force enhanced their strength and speed to extreme levels, making them deadly opponents and excellent guards.
We can do this. Crispin and I are strong enough. I know we are.
Kane growled as Crispin's blade slashed across his left side, cutting him.
Staying on the offensive, Crispin rushed at the Deathless One again, swiping his sword in a sweeping arc that forced Kane to bend backward, barely missing the blade’s sharp edge.
With a little magical aid, we could subdue Kane.
Hope blossomed where it shouldn’t, but I had to stay positive. Crispin was matching Kane’s strength. Against all odds, we had a chance.
Forcing the limbs on the nearby tree to extend, I reached out to Kane. Branches elongated and extended. I visualized them smaller, thinner, vine-like, and then shot them toward Kane’s legs. The ropey twine wrapped around him and yanked him off his feet.
He slammed onto his back with a thud, his furious gaze whipping to me, all humor and snarkiness gone. “Enough! I'm tired of playing with you both.”
Black mist surrounded him.
Crispin stepped back and I used that moment to take the tree and crash it on top of Kane. The oak tree split at its base, covering the now hopefully dead king.
Even if we managed to kill him, Kane could regenerate. The stories around his immortality were both terrifying and unreliable. Some believed the fae fabricated the tales to keep humans scared of their king.
I wasn’t about to wait and find out.
“Come on!” I yelled, urging Crispin to follow.
He ran forward and grabbed my hand. “Jump in the river.”
Running to the cliff’s edge, we stopped short.
My feet dangled off the ledge where the waterfall plunged. It wasn't too high, and it looked as if we were clear of the rocks. A sense of vertigo washed over me, keeping me planted where I stood.
“Go,” Crispin said, pressing a hand to my back. “I’m right behind you.”
Taking a deep breath, I jumped first, plunging into the cold water.
My soaked dress tangled around my thighs, threatening to drag me down to the depths of the river, but I kicked my legs hard and fast, reaching for that night sky. When I breached the surface, Kane was back in dragon form with Crispin in his claws.
No… Please, no. This can’t be how it ends.
“Crispin!”
My husband’s sword dropped from his hand, tumbling into the waterfall.
His cry pushed me into action, and I searched for anything that could bring me back to him, but the river pushed me farther away.
The dragon sat on the cliff, its claws crushing the ground as he searched the water for me. Kane’s massive head swung back and forth, holding Crispin in one clawed hand. The dragon roared and every bird in the area flew out of the trees, fleeing from the dangerous creature tormenting their home.
The current began pulling me downstream in the opposite direction. Away from where I needed to be.
No, no, no!
Frantically, I swam in the opposite direction. “Crispin!” I screamed, water going in my mouth, the cold, sharp current dragging me to safety.
What was the point of escaping if Crispin died in the process? He would never abandon me. I couldn’t do that to him.
A nearby fallen tree wedged between a set of rocks. Reaching out to that wood, I commanded the dead limb to come for me. Slowly, it stretched out just far enough for me to grab it and pull myself out of the water.
Crawling across the broken tree, I quickly made my way to the grass. The forest loomed over me, and I had no idea how I would make my way back up that rocky cliff.
Stumbling to stand, I tried to steady my breathing and think.
Kane landed on the ground in front of me. I fell backward from the impact and landed on my backside hard, hitting the edge of the tree limb. Sharp pain shot into my lower back.
Crispin yelled, a red haze surrounding him in a cloud of rage.
Kane held him up, tilting his head, suddenly seeming curious, but I knew what Crispin was about to unleash.
“Wait!” I screamed, more afraid for Crispin than myself. “Please, stop! I’ll go.”
Stepping closer, I held out my hands in an attempt to seem non-threatening.
Black smoke puffed out of Kane’s nostrils, but he made no further move against Crispin.
Praying that the Deathless One would show mercy, I took another cautious step.
“No, Deirdre!” Crispin groaned, pushing against the taloned claw that gripped him.
“It’s okay,” I said as tears formed. “Our dream was wonderful while it lasted.”
I didn’t dare look at Crispin for fear I couldn’t do what was necessary to keep him safe.
“Release him, and I will go with you.” My entire body trembled with that statement.
My future didn’t matter as long as Crispin lived.
When Kane didn’t respond, I dropped to my knees. “Mercy, please.”
With a huff, Kane began lowering Crispin to the ground.
I stilled, not wanting to risk the chance that Kane would change his mind.
The fear for Crispin’s life should have dissipated in that moment. Yet, a sense of wrongness hung in the air like a silent whisper, the hairs on my neck rising in warning.
I glanced at Crispin, his eyes blazing red.
“Don’t!” I shouted at my husband to stop, to let me go so he could live, but I should have known his stubbornness sometimes rivaled my own.
With glowing red hands, Crispin dug into Kane’s scales and began ripping the flesh apart. Blood dripped from the wound, and Kane roared out in pain.
Thrashing back and forth, Kane slammed his front hand down, attempting to dislodge Crispin’s magical grip. Crispin screamed, a blood-curdling noise that made my heart shatter. Red haze blocked out his face, his elemental rage manifesting into a dangerous volcano of force.
Kane roared and flung Crispin to the side. I watched in horror as my husband slammed into a nearby tree. A sickening crack echoed in the air.
Scrambling over the grass to where Crispin lay, I sobbed, tripping over my wet dress. “Crispin!”
My throat went raw from the never-ending scream pouring from my lips.
No, no.
This can’t be happening.
Crispin held out his hand, his fingers twitching. His magic faded, the red glow dimming just like the light in his bright-blue gaze. “I love you.”
The words garbled out between a splatter of blood. I grabbed his hand and held it to my face, sobbing. Tears clouded my vision, the heartbreak of seeing Crispin broken before me too much to bear.
“Why did you do that?” I cried, gathering him in my arms. “I can’t lose you.”
I thought we had a chance. How could it be over this quickly?
A portal opened to the side, a shadowy image of a green land and stone castle appearing within. Gripping Crispin tighter, I refused to let him go. His breaths became shallow, barely audible. Leaning over, I kissed his lips.
“I’m so sorry.” Sobs tore through me as all the fight in him left. “I should have never left the temple.”
“Not… your… fault…”
Black shadows wrapped around my arms and around my waist, yanking me from my husband.
“No!” I screamed, tugging against the black chains coming from Kane who was back in fae form.
The tangible shadows lifted me off the ground by the waist. I clawed at the thick mist that solidified within seconds, desperate to get out of Kane’s hold.
“Crispin! Don’t do this. Please don’t take me away from him,” I begged Kane, not caring about anything but my husband dying before my eyes. “He’s dying!”
I struggled against the magical binds, sobbing, my screams going hoarse with sorrow. The nearby trees shook their branches, leaves scattering the night sky.
The Deathless One stared at me with nothing but coldness in his amber gaze.
Crispin held up his hand, the words he tried to say never falling from his lips. Our gazes met and I reached out for him, praying that somehow he would survive. His eyes went blank, and his hand fell to the ground…
“No!” Screams mixing with sobs ripped through my chest and I thrashed in the air, Kane’s misty chains locking my arms to my sides.
I called the grass and nearby trees to my aid, but before nature could come to my rescue, Kane lifted me higher in the air and threw me into the portal.