Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Kane
The girl was amusingly feisty. Even after all the power I’d demonstrated, she was still fighting back, as though she had a chance. Her husband had been far stronger than her, and she’d seen how things ended for him, yet she still struggled against me.
Though, I respected her tenacity.
She’d offered herself to save someone she loved. That type of loyalty spoke of her character more than any prophecy could.
Calling my shadows back into my body, I allowed the human to stand, knowing she had nowhere to go.
Deirdre spat at my feet, her eyebrows pulling low over her eyes before screaming, “I'm going to kill you!”
Folding my arms, I eyed the precarious human. “You do know that I'm immortal, right?”
She screamed and vines from the nearby garden trestle shot forth, reaching their woody fingers toward my torso. I dashed to the left, not wanting to be pulled down into the ground again. Having a mouthful of dirt was enough breakfast for me.
Taking her outside the castle walls was probably not the best plan.
There were too many trees and shrubs that she could bend to her will.
I hadn’t expected this level of magical instinct—untrained, yes, but potent.
The way she called to the roots without even touching the soil…
It wasn’t just inherited ability. It was inborn defiance, stubbornness laced into every movement, annoying but very impressive.
The human screamed again, this time reaching out for the large rosebush.
“No,” I said, holding up my hand.
My order came too late.
The rosebush ripped out of the ground, growing, extending, and heading my way.
“Murderer!” she yelled, her long obsidian hair tangling around the fallen branches she called to her side before she darted behind a nearby tree. Her big, dark eyes frantically searched the area for something else to throw at me.
Dashing out of the rosebush’s path, I dragged a hand down the front of my face, wondering how I was going to get this human inside the castle without killing her or using my shadow magic. I didn’t need my court to see just how much trouble this human was giving me.
Her commotion called the castle guards and soon enough we had an audience of my finest soldiers by my side.
“Stand down,” I said before my blade dancers decided to skew this human.
The head of my guard, Acaden, eyed the woman of prophecy. “What is a human doing on the property, Your Majesty? And your hand? What happened?”
Humans had been exiled from Caste Castle for over two hundred years. As soon as I came into power and realized my father’s human witches played a vital part, not just in his death, but the death of my beloved sisters, humans were no longer allowed in any fae settlements.
“I’m fine just a minor wound. This,” I said to my perplexed friend, “is Deirdre.”
Hushed whispers rippled through the guard. Everybody knew about the child of prophecy.
Even though Acaden had only been with me for the past hundred years, he’d become part of my inner circle and knew how much I despised humans and the prophecy surrounding this one. It was an insult to the fae that this supposedly prodigal child had been born a human and not fae.
“You're going to marry her?” he asked. “When did you decide this?”
I could already feel the judgement of my court’s questions pressing in—why would I bring her here? Why would I dirty our halls with a prophecy I openly mocked?
The truth?
I didn’t know.
Curiosity, maybe.
Or the quiet fear that the prophecy might be real after all, and that ignoring it would be the greater risk. But I’d rather face down a horde of twisted than admit that aloud.
In the end, I needed to control my fate, and having her under my watch was the first step.
I shook my head, not wanting to deal with an explanation right now. “How about we get her inside the castle and contained before I discuss marriage?”
I stepped forward, holding out my hands. “I will not hurt you.”
Deirdre hid behind a large oak. More of my kin began sliding out of the forest, including the three pixies who had demanded I bring the human to the castle.
Olivia fluttered forward, her dark-chocolate eyes mad with glee, a devilish smile on her petite lips. Her sister Anna, who had been my mother's most trusted companion before she went into exile, pulled at the golden-red curls in her hair, her wide eyes full of fear.
“What did you do to her?” Anna gasped.
I didn't want to deal with my pixies either. Thankfully, the third out of the trio, Ella, seemed to stay quiet most of the time, letting her two sisters argue and fight.
“Can we discuss what I have and haven't done once the human is subdued?”
“Let me get her,” Olivia said, flying forward.
I grabbed her iridescent wings, plucking her out of the air and tossing her onto my shoulder. “You will do no such thing. She is powerful. I will resolve this myself.”
I didn't know how exactly I was going to accomplish that task.
The human grabbed her wet dress and trampled toward the pond.
The area outside the castle walls had changed over the years. Wild fae magic seemed to enhance the land, giving it its own personality, and this part of the castle grounds did not take kindly to visitors.
I followed Deirdre. Things had not gone exactly as I had planned. Though I had known the human was with a companion, I underestimated the strength of that bond. My contact at the temple neglected to tell me of their intimate relationship, one they must have hidden from everyone.
I should have pressed the dryad that found Deirdre for more details about the human’s everyday life other than her current location.
A mistake I’d now have to deal with.
Walking slowly, I kept my eye on the nearby foliage, wondering the best way to get the human inside and then where to house her.
I could place her in the spire bedroom, which was far away from any type of plant.
Her power would be rendered useless. I did not want to shackle the human, but if she did not behave, I would have no choice.
“Stay in the castle,” I said to the guards over my shoulder. “I will handle this human by myself.”
Acaden bowed. “As you command, Your Majesty.” He nodded at the guards to follow him back inside.
“This is not worth the trouble,” I grumbled, following the stone path into the thick woods.
“But it is entertaining,” Olivia said, her tiny hands tapping across my shoulder. “I told you getting her would be fun.”
“It has been interesting to say the least. No one has attacked me in… I can't even remember the last time someone had the courage to do so.”
Olivia smiled, revealing her pointy teeth.
“But what are we going to do with her?” Though I would love to be rid of the human trampling about my lands, the Magi Council had made it very clear that the child of prophecy was under their protection, and I did not want to spend the rest of my days in one of their infernal dimensional prisons.
But that was not why I brought her here. Not even my pixies understood my true intentions, and I would keep it that way.
They understood my hatred towards humans, but it was fear that made me find the child of prophecy after she disappeared from the temple. I couldn’t have a human tied to me, out of my reach.
And the problem with prophecies was that they always fed an agenda. For all I knew, marrying this human wouldn't bring balance, but death and destruction.
How could a fae and human union do anything different?
Unfortunately, I had seen how corrupt and defiling a human could be.
If only I had been older back then, my father and sisters wouldn't have paid the price.
“We can’t kill her,” I said, but if I did not subdue this female quickly, my entire court would whisper behind my back.
No one defied the Deathless One.
“Who said anything about killing?” Olivia touched her chest, playing with the little flimsy fabric.
“If I remember the order correctly, the child of prophecy is not to be maimed—so no cutting limbs—and she can't be killed. There is nothing in there that says anything about pranking or torturing or…”
She trailed off, smiling, her mischievous gaze staring at the woods. “Better we have her than the humans. If anything, we can bargain her for something.”
In that, I agreed. I did not like the idea of fanatical humans having anything related to me, even if it was a silly prophecy.
“How could you say such horrible things?” Anna flew over, frowning at her sister. “She is going to be the future queen.”
“I never said I was going to marry her.”
Anna gawked at me as if we hadn’t spoken of this for centuries.
We casually strolled through the woods. Deirdre could run all she wanted. She was never getting off this mountain, and I wasn't about to chase after her like a little bunny rabbit.
“Kane,” Anna said.
My pixies spoke way too freely when it was just us.
“This is not right,” she continued. “Maybe if I talk to her and explain we’re not her enemy—”
I laughed. “She will not listen. She needs to be subdued and then thrown into her chambers until she calms down. Once she realizes her previous life is no more, then I will speak with her.”
Anna turned her back to me, flying in front.
“Isn't this what you wanted?” I called out to her.
She spun around, her hands fisted. “No. I want peace. Most of our kin want peace. This marriage and prophecy will bring that to these lands.”
“Prophecies aren't real,” I interrupted.
“Just because you don't believe in them doesn't make that true!” She argued back, her pale cheeks flushing red. “Don't you care what's happening outside these walls?”
“Why should I?” This was an argument we often had.
“You may be immortal but the rest of us are not, and we care about what happens not just to us, but to the humans, the dwarves, the sabers, everyone whose lives are being destroyed by the twisted.”
The twisted had become bolder ever since my dear mother had removed the Lich King’s exile.
While the Lich King has existed for over a millennium, his exile had kept him isolated to the southeastern island.
His infernal cryptid race had attacked little, but the moment the magi had closed the Rift and lost sixty percent of their force during that battle, the Lich King had been advancing into the lands.
More vampyres were created and undead roamed freely.
His true intentions were unknown, but I sensed that if he had his way, our world would be shrouded in darkness in order for his twisted to reign supreme.
Though, that was a problem for the other races. Up here in the mountains, we were safe, and I would continue to call all the fae here, leaving the other lands entirely.
Anna shook her head, and Ella wrapped an arm around her.
Olivia glared at her two siblings. “Don't listen to them. You and I both know this is merely just to appease everybody and to have some fun. Things have been too dull around here lately.”
“Agreed,” I said.
Being immortal had its advantages, but when no one advances on your kingdom, things get a little boring from time to time.
The stepping-stone pathway curved toward the pond area, which had become a little swampy over the past fifty years. My precarious human was nowhere in sight.
Oddly enough, the grass and nearby foliage seemed to have grown, almost as if the chaos of her mind had affected the nearby flora. It wasn’t uncommon for a mage’s power to have a residual effect, but this was something different.
The forest grew denser as I walked, the path narrowing, dewy leaves fluttering on the wind as if the trees trembled as she passed. Too many insects clicked and chirped at once, responding to the disruption in their normally quiet home.
“What if she gets hurt?” Anna said to Ella, interrupting my thoughts.
“Did you see the element she wields? His Highness is right. She must be very powerful.”
“Don’t think because she's a human, she's easy to conquer,” I said. “She put up quite a fight.”
“You almost sound impressed.” Olivia stretched and leaned back against my neck, dragging her sharp nails across it. “I almost hear a hint of admiration in your voice.”
I grabbed my outspoken pixie and held her up in front of my face. “Instead of lounging on my shoulder like a moon cat, why don't you make yourself useful? Flutter around and find the human for me and do not attack her.”
“You want her subdued, don’t you? I can easily do that.” Olivia’s gaze darted to the pouches hanging from her little belt.
Each one contained a specific pixie dust. Her bone dust was exceptionally dangerous, turning anything into stone.
“No poisons, and nothing that's going to make her madder than she already is.”
“You're no fun,” Olivia huffed and flew off.
A glance at the sky revealed the beginning of dawn cresting across the treetops. Orange and pink hues shrouded the horizon, peeking through the trees.
The air became thicker, moist. I looked down as the ground became mossy. Fresh footprints led around the smaller pond heading straight for the bogey.
Someone screamed ahead, and I picked up my pace, walking quicker.
Deirdre had a long branch in her hand, swatting at what I could only assume was Olivia.
The wooden club broke apart, becoming malleable. The human snatched it forward. Olivia yelped as the club became a cage, entrapping her.
I stared at the twisted wooden bars, half in awe, half in irritation. The human had fashioned a makeshift prison from a single thought. What else could she do?
“Kane!” Olivia squeaked, shaking the wooden prison.
Dismissing this new revelation, I decided our guest needed to cool off.
“That’s enough!” Calling my magic to my fingers, I sent a rolling wave of shadow forward and shoved the human right into the bog.
I kept my shadows on the human as she floundered in the pond.
Her defiance was a bit… intriguing. She had no way to escape, and yet she refused to yield. I’d brought her here, not because of my pixies, or some savory idea of saving the world, but because I refused to let the humans have any type of power over me.
Out of all the races in Saol, my prophesied bride had to be born a human. My father always said the All Father had a sense of humor.
“I will never go with you. Not after what you’ve done,” she shrieked. “You'll have to kill me!”
I folded my arms, waiting, as two golden eyes breached the surface right behind her.
“Now, what fun would there be in that?” I quirked an eyebrow. “I have far… better. . . plans for you than death.”
Of course, she might find my use of the word better to be subjective, but she would come around or quickly learn the consequences.