Twenty
Calypso
Azulin’s silence worried me. He held me all night with a desperate urgency that made me wonder what he feared. Throughout the next morning as we prepared to leave, he kept me close by his side. Any time I moved away to speak with Avril or anyone else, he followed, dragging whomever he was speaking with behind him.
Only when Illeron called him aside did he leave me. Avril smiled. “It’s sweet to see how attentive he is to you. Az has needed an ally for so long. I’m delighted to see that he found one.”
I frowned after my husband. “I’m not sure how much his behavior is driven by affection as opposed to worry. For all of his warnings, he seems more shaken by his mother’s attack than I am.”
“Intriguing.” Avril studied him for a moment before turning back to me. “Perhaps it made him realize how important you are to him.”
I almost rolled my eyes but stopped myself. “He promised to protect me.”
“In that case, no one can accuse him of not taking his vow seriously.”
Azulin returned to my side, trailing Illeron, who was still talking. “It was the best I could get at such short notice,” Illeron said. “The craftsman promised an even stronger protection spell on the next one.”
Azulin nodded as he examined the silver cuff in his hands. Delicate lacing that matched the design on my wedding ring wound around the cuff. The intricate metalwork caught the light while the air practically tingled with the spell that had been worked into the piece of jewelry.
“May I?” Azulin asked, arching a brow at me.
I reluctantly extended my right arm. “It’s far too fancy for me.”
The annoyed glance Azulin gave me clearly communicated that he disagreed. “It will have to do for now.” He spoke a few words in a different language, and the metal warmed beneath his touch. I flinched as the tingle of magic spread over me like a blanket of prickles before the sensation disappeared and melted into my skin.
“Comfortable?” Azulin asked.
I nodded, studying the band of intricately coiled metal that now seamlessly enclosed my whole forearm. “What if I need to remove it?”
“I can do it,” Azulin assured me.
“It’s better that you don’t know the release words,” Illeron explained. “Then you can’t be compelled to remove it.”
Azulin’s response burned in my chest. Glancing up at my husband, I caught no sign of the intense anxiety coming from him, but I reached out and tugged at his sleeve all the same. “I will be safe,” I assured him.
He nodded curtly.
“It will guard you from most magical forms of harm and even some physical ones.” Illeron continued listing the dangers that the magical cuff would protect me from, but only one caught my attention.
“Poison?” I asked.
“Yes.” Illeron looked puzzled by my question.
“I wonder what Ghost will think of not having to taste test my food.”
“He will still be doing that.” Azulin frowned. “No magic is foolproof.”
“Speaking of the dragon,” Avril said. “Any word from him?”
“No.” Azulin turned to Illeron. “Any news from your elves?”
The spymaster frowned and shook his head. “Only the news I shared this morning.” He turned to me and explained, “Word is that the Unseelie king is leaving his lands with a party of armed thugs and planning on visiting your husband’s castle.”
I straightened. “Then why are we still here?” I turned to Azulin. “You need to be home to greet him.”
“With Ghost gone and the traitor somewhere in my staff’s midst, I dare not take you back,” Azulin protested.
“I’m no longer unprotected.” I lifted my newly bedecked arm. “According to Illeron, this spell can do everything Ghost can short of breathing fire. I am protected, and you are needed by your court.”
Azulin didn’t smile as I’d hoped. Instead, he studied me grimly, as though bracing himself for something unpleasant. “I should leave you here.”
“You should not.” I glared up at him. “I am not a wilting flower. I can handle a bit of conflict.”
“They are fae,” he protested.
“And I am a shapeshifter. Carry me in your arms if you must, but your people need you and you need me.” I lifted my chin and challenged him to deny it. “You aren’t the only territorial and protective person in this marriage. The last time you faced off with this particular fae, you were cursed. I am not about to let that happen again.”
Illeron’s amused laugh cut through the tension. “Might I suggest a compromise?”
Azulin nodded without breaking eye contact with me.
“As the king of Eldarlan’s representative in this situation, I can offer a show of power and support.”
That caught my husband’s attention. “The Unseelie won’t take kindly to us flashing our alliance. It might even open up hostility between them and Eldarlan. Would Emrys accept that risk?”
Illeron tilted his head to the side as though considering it. “What do you think allies do, Azulin?”
“Still…” Azulin stopped himself and took a deep breath before bowing his head. “Thank you. I would be grateful for the support.”
“Wise choice.” Illeron clapped him on the shoulder as he passed him on the way to the door. “Time is wasting. You’d best get moving. I’ll have a host ready to accompany you through your portal in ten minutes. They will report to you in the back gardens.”
The room cleared swiftly as Azulin worked his storage spell, pulling out his semi-sentient sword, belt and all. Strangely, an awareness of the weapon tingled my senses. As Azulin belted it around his waist, the weapon let off a pulse of magical warmth, almost as though it were greeting me.
“Will Vorpalus interact with me differently now that we are mate bonded?” I asked.
Azulin settled the sword belt around his hips and then bent to test his ease of movement. “Does Vorpalus feel different?”
“It does. It’s almost as though it greeted me when you put it on.”
Azulin paused for a moment before he reached for the storage spell again. “Interesting. It is possible, I suppose. After all, our magic has melded.” He pulled forth three wickedly sharp knives. They prickled with malicious spells so strong I flinched. Still, they brightened slightly as though greeting me as well.
“Are those semi-sentient too?”
Azulin paused in the middle of concealing them on his person. Narrowing his eyes at me, he frowned. “What makes you ask?”
“They greeted me like Vorpalus did.” I eyed the pair he had just strapped to his back. “No offense meant, but I’m not sure I wish to hold them. Those spells are deadly.”
“That is going to be a problem, then.” He held the remaining knife in his hand. “I had hoped you would be willing to use this one.” He considered my expression. “It is no less deadly than Vorpalus.”
“But with intent,” I pointed out. “Vorpalus doesn’t carry an intent to harm, but that—” I motioned to the evil-oozing blade in his hand. “That feels evil.”
His eyebrows rose. “Intriguing.” He frowned as he reached for the storage spell. “You can detect blood magic.” He stowed the knife, and after rummaging around a bit, he pulled out a smaller but equally sharp knife. However, unlike the blades at his back and Vorpalus, this weapon felt completely benign. “Would you be willing to carry this instead? It is my eating knife. It’s not much, but I would feel better if you were armed.”
I nodded, accepting the weapon. He offered a belt as well. It must’ve been one of his because it was large for me. I looped up the extra, and he helped me attach the knife and sheath to it.
“What do you think?” I asked, spinning away when we were done. I had hoped for a smile from him, or at the very least some lightening of his expression. Instead, he stared at me, his expression intense and burning. “What? Does it ruin the line of my gown?” My voice wavered, the teasing falling flat.
“I hate it.” Azulin crossed the gap between us in a single stride, pulled me into his embrace, and kissed me with a ferocity that drove the breath from my body. When we finally came up for air, he rested his forehead against mine and closed his eyes. “I hate the need for it. I hate that you’re going to be in danger.”
“I feel the same about you,” I confessed. “Is there no other way forward?”
“You could stay here.” The eagerness in his voice tore at my heart.
“No.” I stated it as gently and firmly as I could. “You are stronger with me by your side.”
Azulin groaned in frustration. “I will be walking into battle with my heart exposed.”
“It might not be a battle,” I countered.
He huffed. “The Unseelie king will be at my gate with an armed contingent. What else could he want other than a confrontation?”
“A dessert recipe?” I offered weakly.
He laughed softly and kissed my nose. “Keep that optimism alive for me, beloved. I have a feeling we’re going to need it before this day is over.”
A light elf appeared at the door and cleared his throat. “Pardon, majesties, but your escort has assembled in the garden below.”
Azulin lifted his head but didn’t release his embrace. “Thank you, Ergon. Please let the commander know we’ll be right down.”
With a sharp bow, the elf left.
“Shouldn’t we leave?” I asked, leaning toward the door.
“In a moment.” Azulin traced my jaw, drawing my attention back to him. Then, he kissed me again.
∞∞∞
Azulin
Against my better judgment, I strode through the portal into my own throne room with my wife curled up in the crook of my left arm. Her small cat form looked deceptively innocent and helpless, but I knew far better than most how powerful she was. She had given me back my life. Now I had to defend that life and make it a safe place for her.
At my back, elves poured through the portal. Shadow elves flickered so quickly from shadow to shadow that I suspected no one in the room noticed their arrival. A dozen light elves flanked Calypso and myself as we stepped onto the cool tiles of the antechamber just outside my throne room and sized up the situation.
It was a good thing I’d arrived when I did. The Unseelie king dominated the aisle surrounded by a token bodyguard contingent composed of four trolls. A fair distance away, one of his favorites, Lord Greyson, glared at his king. Greyson—a Dullahan—oozed power despite his severely formal black clothing, including gloves.
“I did not agree to this, Your Majesty,” Greyson declared in the low tone he reserved for when he was barely holding onto his temper.
“That is of no consequence.” The Unseelie king waved toward the throne on the dais at the front of the room. “We are being offered the throne. You’re merely here to witness my moment of triumph.”
“That was not our agreement,” Grizzlemunch protested from the dais where he stood before my throne. A bewildered group of other fae from my council had gathered off to the side, and a handful of guards bracketed the throne itself. “We bargained that you would support a new claimant to the throne in exchange for lands along the northern border. You have possession of the land. Now uphold your side of the bargain.”
The Unseelie king laughed, spreading his arms wide. “What claimant? I see no legitimate heir. You are not of the right lineage.”
The last of the shadow elves moved into strategic positions around the throne room. Their commander gave me the signal to engage. Tightening my grip on Calypso, I initiated my standard protection spell and took a deep breath.
“Yes, Grizzlemunch, what claimant?” I asked, drawing all eyes to me. “The only fae you could be referring to is my brother, who has no desire for the throne.” I strode into the room and signaled for the doors to close. Shadow elves appeared just for that purpose and stationed themselves as guards.
The Unseelie tensed. The king’s guards eyed the shadows warily, but the king himself only sneered. “Elves? You don’t trust your own people enough to bring an official guard, so you had to resort to elves? No wonder your council wants you out.”
Grizzlemunch leveled a withering glare at me.
“Considering I was making an official visit to our allies in Eldarlan when word reached me that someone wished to contest my right to the throne, I see nothing wrong with accepting their offered help.” I glared at the other king. “Unlike the Unseelie, I do not bargain with my allies. Friendships run deeper than agreements.”
“Only fools depend on the strength of sentiment.” The king eyed my escort. “No companion?” His grin widened. “The word has spread that you have taken up the care of a companion—” His lip curled in disgust as his gaze fell on Calypso. “And a cat? You have grown softer than I suspected if you have developed affections for such lazy creatures. Or perhaps it’s just your latest affectation. Are cats all the rage among the Seelie now?” He reached for my wife.
Calypso hissed. Unleashing her claws, she took a swipe at his hand, making him hastily withdraw it.
“What are you doing on Seelie soil?” I demanded to distract him.
“Sire?” One of the mountain trolls edged closer to the Unseelie king. “We are outnumbered.” He eyed the shadows of the curtains on the tall windows.
“I count at least a dozen shadow assailants.” Another troll eyed the corners.
“Ignore them,” the Unseelie king barked. “We have every right to be here. We were invited.” He spun to face Grizzlemunch. “Where is the companion your king brought back from the labyrinth?”
Grizzlemunch waved the demand away. “She is of no consequence.”
“She is of utmost consequence! I demand you produce her!” the king bellowed.
I eyed the progress of my escort. Everyone was almost in place.
To my great pleasure, my former councilor-turned-traitor wilted beneath the Unseelie’s wrath. “You said nothing—”
“She is the key! What is her name? Humans are always careless with their names. I will summon her.”
“How should I know what she’s called?” Grizzlemunch didn’t bother to hide the irritation in his voice. “She is human and disposable.”
“Fool!” The Unseelie king roared in anger. “She is how he broke my curse!”
“Callie,” a guard, standing beside the throne, volunteered hastily. “I heard the king call her Callie.”
Cold anger pierced through my calm. I glared at the guard, memorizing his features. He would pay for that betrayal. Not that anyone could summon my wife with that name. Nicknames had very little power, especially those that were rarely used.
Calypso stirred in my arms, her growing fear tangible beneath my breastbone as our invaders’ attention shifted toward me.
“That isn’t your true name,” I reminded her in sotto voce. “He can’t summon you.”
“But that is what he called the cat,” another of the guards commented, gripping his weapon still in its sheath. “I bet she is the cat. She’s probably a shapeshifter.”
The Unseelie king rounded to face me. Despite the half a throne room between us, I could see the malice in his eyes as he glared at Callie. “Seize the cat!”
“Stay behind me,” I commanded as I set her down and drew my sword. Straightening to my full height, I accessed my birthright. My magic flooded forward, eager to be used in the service of my mate. “Touch my wife at your own risk.” Tapping into my magic, I hurled a paralysis spell at the other king. It was time to end this once and for all.
Off to my left, the throne room was growing hazy and the heavy tingle of ancient magic brushed my senses. I ignored it as I met the first troll’s attack with my raised sword. Vorpalus sang with power as he flared bright and golden amidst the growing misty haze.
“Cease this drama, Greyson!” the Unseelie king commanded. “If you cause me to lose this fight, I will see you lose your status in my court.”
“I made my stance on this issue clear from the beginning, sire.” Greyson’s rumble at my back caught me by surprise.
I drove the troll backward deeper into the growing magical fog until he tripped and fell over something neither of us could see. “To your right,” Greyson warned.
I swung around mere seconds before a second troll brought a great ax down on my head. I sidestepped the blow. The ax head cracked the tiles where I had been standing. Triggering a blindness spell, I blasted the troll full in the face and then bashed the side of his head with the flat of my sword. He fell to his knees before crumpling over; Vorpalus hummed with satisfaction.
Calypso barely leaped out of the falling assailant’s way with a hiss before launching herself at my leg. In a hasty series of claw pricks, her small gray body scrambled up my back. Calypso perched herself on my shoulders, winding around the back of my head. “Mert,” she chirped in my ear as her soft tail caressed my cheek.
“Not the safest place,” I told her. A third troll clopped in from behind. I raised my blade to engage, but Greyson reached him first. Magic flared and for a moment, I thought I glimpsed black wings and massive claws. However, when I blinked, the fog cleared from my watering eyes and Greyson stood over the inert form of our would-be attacker.
“You saw nothing,” Greyson informed me evenly as he adjusted his gloves.
“Nothing,” I agreed.
“King Az.” I turned as a shadow elf melted from the gray haze. “All assailants except the Dullahan have been subdued.” The elf eyed Greyson. “We assume you do not wish for him to be likewise constrained considering his actions to defend you.”
“Correct.” I turned to Greyson. “Would you clear the air?”
With a sharp nod, Greyson complied, drawing in his magic. Within moments, the fog, mist, and haze rolled back into nothingness, revealing all the trolls bound, on their knees, facing the far wall. Only the Unseelie king and my councilor remained standing, but both of them were under guard by at least two shadow elves.
Greyson silently approached his glaring king. “Sire,” he said with a bow.
“Traitor,” the Unseelie king hissed.
Greyson positioned himself behind the king’s shoulder as though his sovereign had said nothing at all.
“Now,” I announced as I turned to confront my former councilor. “Does anyone here know how to perform a truth spell?”
But before anyone could answer me, a great dragon roar shook the walls of the castle. Everyone’s heads turned at the sight of Ghost’s body hurtling past the windows.
“Perhaps it would be best to find out what’s going on out there first,” the shadow elf commander suggested.
I didn’t bother to respond. Placing a steadying hand on Calypso as she hunched over my shoulder, I strode toward the main corridor.