Daughter of the Red Dawn (The Lost Kingdom of Fallada) (13 page)

The beast laughed again. “You have yet to take the throne, and already you issue orders like a royal. I have a queen, little girl, and she is far more magnificent, powerful
,
and beautiful than you. You are no match for her.”

“Obviously I am,” Selena scoffed with false confidence, “if she felt the need to send you to kill me!”

A low rumbling growl rippled from the Minotaur’s chest. “You are foolish to mock my queen!” he roared. “And now you will suffer before you die. Bring the old woman forward.”

“No!”

Selena lurched forward as one of the Minotaurs wrestled Rose from Jake’s arms. She was abruptly brought up short by two of the creatures, who had crossed their axes in front of her in a blocking maneuver. A strong pair of hands grasped her arms and forced her to her knees as he held the staff of his axe to her throat. She ceased her struggles as the unforgiving wooden pole pressed against her windpipe.

The leader stood over Rose, his axe raised and his eyes gleaming with glee.

“You will watch each one of your cohorts perish before meeting your end, Eladria.”

He raised the axe higher and Selena felt panic ripping through her
as she realized that they were all going to die. She wanted to close her eyes
,
but could not look away from the gleaming axe blade raised high over the Minotaur’s head. With one last defeated cry, Selena t
ossed
her head back and screamed her anguish.

A rush of what could only be described as intense energy exploded in her chest and rippled out from Selena’s body in waves. A gale of forceful wind whipped around them, propelling all six of the massive creatures into the nearby trees. Selena met Zoe’s stunned gaze as her friend ran toward her.

“What did you just do?”

Before Selena could answer, the whooshing sound of massive wings rang out overhead, drawing the eye of every member of their party. Large birds of every breed swooped down upon them, twice the size of any bird Selena had ever seen on earth. Their loud screeching
seemed to enrage the Minotaurs, who were slowly picking
themselves
up off the ground.

As the oversized birds drew closer the Grimm brothers, along with the bedraggled sailors, began waving their arms in celebration and whooping with joy. Selena looked back and forth between the celebrating men and the hovering birds in slack-jawed question.

Jake chuckled at her confusion and pointed toward the bird leading the flock. His smile was wide and his eyes twinkling as he uttered the one word that flooded Selena with hope.

“
Fae
ries!”

~*~

Chapter
Seven

The
Fae
ries were nothing like Selena had imagined they would be.
Disney had it all wrong and Tinkerbell was nothing compared to these magnificent creatures. Silver armor etched with tree branches and flowers adorned the torsos of both male and female
Fae
. They were tall, willowy creatures with luminescent skin and eyes that glowed in every shade of green imaginable.
Gleaming silver headpieces in a variety of shapes boasted gems, jewels
,
and dangling strings of pearls, and covered hair that ran in various length
s
and
boasted
a spectrum of color between pristine white and shimmering gold. Pointed ears showed beneath the helmets, but Selena was surprised to see that the
Fae
were wingless. Their garments and hair flowed about them as if possessed of a life of their own, creating a beautiful streak of glowing color and light as they swooped down overhead.

As they
plunged
down with various weapons raised and leap
t
from the backs of their birds, they engaged the Minotaurs in a battle that lasted only minutes. The ugly creatures were outnumbered and forced to retreat.
The
Fae
did not give chase, but instead surrounded Selena
and the others in a protective circle. Selena turned
slowly
, hypnotized by twenty pairs of green eyes set in angularly shaped, angelic faces. The largest male stepped forward and removed his helmet, revealing shining silver curls that tapered off at the back of his neck. He placed one fist to his chest and dropped to one knee in front of her. The other nineteen
Fae
ries followed suit, falling to one knee and laying their weapons on the
grass as one with
their heads lowered and one hand fisted over their chests.

“Dude,” Zoe whispered as she took in the bowing
Fae
rie circle. “This is too weird.”

The emerald green eyes of the male
Fae
who’d stepped forward met Selena’s and he stood.

“Princess Eladria, I am Rothatin, general of the
Fae
warrior class. We were sent by our queen to rescue you from the hand of the Minotaur. It is an honor to be in your presence.”

Selena stuck one hand out to the
Fae
, who towered an entire foot over her.
“Uh, yeah, nice to meet you Rothatin.
This is—”

“I know the members of your party,” he interrupted with a gleaming, magnetic smile. “Our queen is wise and all-knowing. She has been watching your journey with great interest and is anxious to meet you. We will provide an armed escort
the rest of the way
to Goldun.”

“Wait!” Selena cried as Rothatin turned toward the trees, where the flock of massive birds awaited their masters.
“What about—
”

“General, we’ve found the traitor!”

Selena whipped around to find two more male
Fae
, both holding Titus by the arms and dragging him toward their little circle. He had shifted back to his human form and besides his tousled hair and a little blood running from a cut on his forehead, be seemed to be unharmed.

“He is not a traitor!” Selena defended, glaring at the
Fae
rie that had made the accusation.

Rothatin’s jaw hardened as he brushed past Selena and walked to where the two
warrior
Fae
had forced Titus to his knees. He looked up at the approaching general silently, his blue ey
e
s as calm as a still river.

“You know little, Princess,” Rothatin said, his eyes never leaving Titus. “This boy will be made to pay for his crime against you and Queen Adrah.”

“He saved my life,” Selena countered, refusing to be intimidated by someone who went flying around on
….
good
Lord, was that an owl? Selena shivered and avoided the sharp, yellow gaze of the predator bird and focused on Rothatin. “Doesn’t that count for something?”

Rothatin’s lips pursed as he glared at Titus, his emerald eyes cold and hard. “We will leave that up to Queen Adrah. For now, your grandmother is in need of her help, is she not?”

“How did you know that?”

“The queen of Goldun is all knowing,” interjected Wil as he stepped forward to scoop Rose’s still form from the ground. “Stop questioning the man
…
er,
Fae
…
and let us be on our way, Eladria.”

Selena blew her bangs out of her eyes, deciding
that it was a waste of breath for her to continue to ask people to call her Selena. With another glare at Rothatin, she moved back toward Wil and Jake, who had started rounding everyone up and directing them toward the waiting chariots.

“Very well,” said Rothatin. He whistled for his owl, and the massive bird swooped from its perch in a tree to his master’s side. It dropped to the ground and Rothatin climbed onto the
creature’s
back as the other warriors whistled for their own rides. Selena found Titus,
seated on the back of an eagle the size of a Mack truck
,
with his arms shackled behind his back. A powerfully built
Fae
female was seated on the bird behind him. Selena gave him a tiny smile.

“Don’t worry,” she said with a reassuring nod. “I’ll have you out of those handcuffs in no time.”

Titus’ sad smirk told Selena that he didn’t believe it. She squared her shoulders and raised her chin to show him she meant business. Queen Adrah sounded like a reasonable woman. She would go to her and tell her about Titus’ bravery against the Minotaurs. If that didn’t work, well, there was always begging.

Selena joined Zoe, Rose, and the Grimm brothers in their horseless chariot.
Once they were surrounded by their escort, Rothatin lifted a white horn to his lips. The instrument hung from a leather strap that went across the
Fae
rie’s wide chest and was edged in gold.

“First a fight and now music?”
Zoe snorted. “These people are very entertaining.”

Selena giggled as Rothatin lifted the horn to his lips. The sharp sound of the instrument bellowed over head and suddenly Selena felt the odd sensation of floating. Zoe gasped.

“Holy crap, we’re flying!”

Selena tore her eyes away from Zoe’s shocked expression and looked over the side of the carriage. Sure enough, a substance that Selena mentally dubbed ‘stardust’ was shimmering around the vehicle in a pinkish haze and seemed to have lifted them clear off of the ground. They were steadily moving upward, and within seconds the trees that
had once towered over them were now beneath them. Selena gripped the side of the carriage and held on for dear life.

“You’d think they would install seatbelts in this thing,” she muttered as Zoe grabbed onto her waist and held on tight.

“You think that
Fae
rie cloud will protect us if we fall out?”

“I don’t know, Zo, why don’t I push you and we’ll find out.”

“Unless one of these
Fae
boys decides to grow wings and catch me
…
Hmmm, on second thought
…
”

“Don’t even think about it.”

“What
? T
hat Rothatin dude is hot!”

“He’s a jackass.”

“He’s a jackass
,
but he saved your ass.”

Zoe giggled over her little quip
,
but Selena tuned her out. Rothatin
was
handsome; very Chris Hemsworth. However, he could prove to be a thorn in her side when it came to the matter of gaining some sort of immunity for Titus. She needed the
Fae
warrior to be with her, not against her.

Selena soon forgot all of that as the landscape of Fallada whizzed by beneath them. From their present height, she felt as if she could see all four corners of the land she was born in. It was breathtaking with its incredible scenery and vibrant colors. Ahead of them was the northern
city  of
Goldun. It floated miles above the
ground
in one, gigantic solid mass of earth, almost as if
it had broken away from the rest of the world. On top of the floating island was a city that gleamed gold in the moonlight and was surrounded by trees and plants
,
the likes of which Selena had never seen before in her life.

To the east sprawled an endless ocean. It rolled with waves
,
but boasted no towering buildings or signs of life. Selena supposed that Zenun was literally underneath that massive body of water. To the west was Mollac, with its jagged mountains and cliffs and endless stretches of pristine, white snow. Selena felt sadness stabbing her heart as she glanced over at Titus. Even from where she sat she could see the
anguish
that homesickness brought to his eyes. Selena glanced back toward the ic
y
kingdom and located the towering fortress of ice encased in what appeared to be an iron cage. She supposed that this was what kept the
Fae
from invading Mollac. She trembled as she remembered that Jake and Wil wanted her to be the one to lead the first siege.

Definitely not happening.

Finally, to the south was Damu.
It’s
sienna sand rolled and dipped toward buildings that reminded her of the castle from Aladdin. With their domed ceilings all boasting different shades of purple, red
,
and gold, the city appeared to be one of great wealth.

“Just think,” said Wil from his perch on the front seat, “that is where your parents are.”

Selena blushed at having been caught staring. She whipped around in her s
eat, focusing on the floating city of Goldun.

“Why would I care about that?”

Selena didn’t want to acknowledge the twinge of something low in her gut, that thing within her that desperately wanted to see the faces of her real parents. The child inside of her wanted answers, but she had already decided
that i
f Adrah would lend her aid then Selena would help Titus find his parents and leave Fallada. End of story.