Faery Queen (9 page)

Hugh was about to answer when the three women turned to him. Their eyes lit with demonic fire and their faces turned to that of hags. His stomach tensed, realizing they'd been demons sent to lure him.

“You would have fallen that night and Bellemare's blessing would have ended.” Lucien sighed. Hugh turned to see him frowning. “Every sin I threw at you, you resisted. No one has ever thwarted the attempts of my demons like you have, my lord. Like your family has. I knew then that yours were the souls strong enough to prove worthy of my full attention.”

“Why are you telling me all this? Do you not know to never reveal your full intention to your enemy?”

“We will not always be enemies, my lord,” Lucien said. “One day you will come to me and you will beg to join me.”

“Never.”

“Do not be so sure. There are ways to bend you to my will. I do not care if you know that I want you because when the time comes, you will offer yourself to me all the same. But for you, I make it easy. I tell you in advance that you will be honored amongst demons. Your fall from grace will be most great and because of it you will lead armies. I want you to rule with me, Hugh. I want you to rule your mortal world as I rule this one, answering only to me. Nothing that you do will be a crime, for you will make the law. You will control the demon armies. You will make the world cower in fear and awe. The whole mortal realm will worship you at Bellemare, the center of power.”

Hugh tightened his jaw and stared at the dark beams of the ceiling. “Nay.”

Lucien's pleasure faded and his eyes narrowed in annoyance. Hugh could tell the man didn't like to be naysayed.

“Or,” Lucien continued, “you can beg me to take your soul in exchange for a favor and rule nothing. Either way, I get what I want. I always get what I want.”

“Do your worst. I have no fear of death or pain.”

“My worst will not be to you.” The king's voice was a whisper, but the meaning was unmistakable.

Hugh looked at Juliana's blade. Did Lucien have his sister? Is that why she never contacted him? If Merrick let Lucien have her, he'd find the Unblessed King and kill him.

“Ah, see, this is the spirit that first baffled me. That goodness in you. The selflessness. I threaten you, tempt you and you do not budge, but one thought of those you love being in the slightest pain and you weaken.” Lucien motioned to where the demon women's memory had been. Hugh turned his head, only to see a different memory—one where his horse was slaughtered in a skirmish. He'd been a little older by then and the stallion had been his favorite horse. Hugh saw his past self get up from the ground, fighting the man who had done it. He'd cut the man's face, surely deep enough to scar him if the blood were any indication. Then, his opponent fell, his sword tumbling away down a small ravine. His opponent's side surrendered, their horn sounding over the battlefield. “This is when I first realized that about you, first discovered your weakness. I came so close. You could have killed him and no one would have stopped you. He killed your horse. Why did you let him go?”

“You would never understand,” Hugh said.

“Mayhap you are right,” Lucien agreed. “Tell me anyway.”

“Honor. His side surrendered. He was unarmed. The battle was over,” Hugh said simply, though he was no saint. Even now, he still felt the desire to kill the man for the careless slaughter of his mount.

“He killed your favorite horse. That was the first horse you bred on your own. You took pride in that animal. I watched you with it. You loved that horse, trained it endlessly.”

“And in the end the horse was only an animal, was it not? And that was a man.” Hugh let his head roll so he again looked at the ceiling. Glancing at Lucien, he saw the Damned King studying the scene from Hugh's past. Confusion marred the king's face, as if he were really trying to understand. Was there something more to Lucien's obsession with the Bellemare family? Or was it simply just that—an obsession? “The church says animals have no souls and men do. It is what separates us from beasts.”

Lucien shook himself, as if coming from a trance. The cold fire again returned to his eyes. Laughing, he said, “Far be it from me to contradict the mortal's church, but that was hardly just a man. But you did not know that, did you?”

Hugh turned to see the man who killed his horse looking at him. The knight's eyes lit with fire just as the three temptresses' had. He'd been a demon as well.

“There were others, many others, and each time you resisted.” Lucien looked to be in repose, as if they discussed the passing of the moon. “So I knew I had to strike in another way. Little did I know fate would step in. Sweet Lady Juliana. How obliging of her to tempt King Merrick for me. And Nicholas, how he did grovel to the very thought of her! Pathetic little mongrel. You were right in not choosing him for her.”

Hugh didn't like knowing King Lucien was so intimately familiar with his family's past. How did he know all this? How did he infiltrate their lives so completely? And more importantly, what vanity caused him to speak so openly about it now?

“Well, the hour grows late.” Lucien sat up straighter. He took the knife. “Try to remember. After I release you, should you decide to join me, all you have to do is seek me out.”

“Release me?” Hugh asked in surprise. He didn't expect that.

“Aye, but first…” Lucien lifted Juliana's blade and stabbed Hugh in the stomach. Hugh grunted, looking down. He couldn't feel the injury. He could scarcely feel anything. Lucien retracted the blade, leaving a wound that did not bleed. It was as if Hugh's body was frozen in time.

“Do not worry, that and the pain of your injuries will come back soon enough. I cannot deliver you into the hands of your captor unharmed.” Lucien stood.

“My captor?” Hugh was beyond confused.

“Queen Tania.” Lucien grinned. “She put a price on your head and I will happily collect it.”

Tania? Tania was the reason he was here? She ordered his capture? Rage poured out of him. Whatever tender thoughts he had of her fled with the knowledge of what she was doing to him. It wasn't enough that she'd detained him and he'd lost Juliana? Now, she had to do it again? Only this time, what would the cost be? William, Thomas and Juliana? He didn't have time for Tania's games, her mad plotting.

Lucien lifted his hands to the side. Smoke poured out of him as if his body smoldered. The king disappeared and the smoke rolled over Hugh's prone body. In his head, he heard Lucien say, “The sweet little faery made me an offer I could not refuse.”

Chapter Four

“Lord Bellemare, as promised.”

Tania looked up from her throne. She'd sensed the Damned King coming, but she had not expected him to bring Hugh so soon. Instantly, she looked down at her gown to see if she was prettily dressed. Miniature sparks of light erupted from her wings, showering over her body. Faery pheromones were a natural reaction to desire. Detecting the dark lines that marred her skin, she was reminded of all that had happened and the momentary spark of pleasure faded. Lucien chuckled, catching her in the vain act. Steeling herself, she looked up.

“I see your interest in the earl is not just political,” he teased. “You will send for me should he not live up to your expectations, will you not?”

Tania glanced down, seeing the hard press of sexual interest against the Damned King's tight breeches. Lucien waved his hand to the side. Dark energy flowed over the tarnished floor, pouring like smoke as an orange glow lit over the ground. Hugh appeared, his body unmoving as he lay on the great hall floor. Tania froze.

“The deal was that he would be alive.” She stepped down.

“And he is,” Lucien answered, only to shrug before adding, “albeit barely. You best hurry, pretty faery. He does not have long once I take my hold off him.”

Tania crossed over to Hugh. “What has been done to him?”

“Walking dead,” Lucien shrugged. “He was attacked at Bellemare.”

“But, that means…” Tania shook her head. “That is not what I wanted.”

“You said you wanted him brought to you alive. He is alive and delivered, as agreed. I have upheld my end of the blood oath.”

“Not all of it.” She realized too late that she should have specified Hugh, not just his family. “You cannot hurt his family.”

“They have a fortnight,” Lucien said. “When that fortnight is over, I am free to do as I wish and I will call upon you to uphold your part of the oath.”

Tania glared at Lucien as she pointed down at the unmoving earl. “He will never forgive this.”

“I know.” Lucien waved his hand over his head, the sound of his dark laughter echoing over the tarnished hall as he disappeared. “You should be more careful what you wish for when making deals with the devil, my pretty faery queen.”

Tania fell to her knees, shaking her head. Lucien was gone. She never imagined that the Damned King would go this far. But, she was foolish to have believed otherwise. Of course Lucien would do something like this.

“Lorelle, Jack, Robin!” Tania yelled, summonsing her faery subjects. Little bursts of light erupted all around her. “Help me, please. He is dying.”

Tania held out her hands, trying to put her magic onto him, but her powers were weak. She focused her energy, but as it touched the earl's cool flesh, he thrashed and moaned. The queen jerked back, seeing that she'd turned his skin gray where she tried to heal him. Looking at her hands, and then to her surprised subjects, she pulled away.

“Heal him,” she ordered. “Please, now. Do not let him slip.”

The faeries ran their hands over the earl. Tania crawled away to sit on the steps leading up to her throne, unable to help them no matter how much she wanted to. She should've seen Lucien's tricks long before she made her pact. It had been too easy, getting him to hand over Hugh.

“Get the others!” She balled her useless hands into fists. “Robin, call the others. There needs to be more of you. Can you not see he is not going to make it? Please, I cannot lose him. I need him alive.”

I need him alive.

 

 

 

Black Palace of the Unblessed, Kingdom of Valdis

Thomas' body jerked as he fell upon hard, black stone. The taste of the bitter potion was still in his mouth. Heinic swore it would take him to the immortal realm, delivering him right onto the Golden Palace of Tegwen's doorstep so he could speak with the Blessed King. As Thomas looked up, he knew the garden gnome had been half right. He was in the Otherworld, but not before Tegwen.

Thomas had landed alone, with only his sword for protection, on a long stone bridge that led to the front gate of the Black Palace. He could hardly be mad over his location. This was Juliana's home now. He'd have picked it if not for the gnome claiming he didn't remember the right mixture to get him there.

“Apparently, Heinic forgot the mixture to get me to King Ean's palace,” Thomas muttered, “not Merrick's.”

The last time he'd been at the Unblessed King's castle he hadn't been outside, but he knew in his gut where he was. Thomas recognized the style of the twisted spires and the cut of the stone bricks along the wall. He'd been unconscious when he arrived at the castle the last time, having been injured in battle and saved by King Merrick.

Unlike Hugh, Thomas didn't hold any animosity toward Merrick, but he did fear him. As the king of necessary evil—the balance that kept both realms in existence—the Unblessed King still ruled evil. Such a kingdom had to mar a man's soul, even that of a dark elfin king.

Thomas glanced up. Long, twisted spires curled like gnarled fingertips toward the sky, hooked with spurs. Such creations were not possible to build in the mortal world. The sky was dark, but from what he understood it was always dark in Valdis. A full moon shone over the earth, lighting his way with the pale blue glow. The impression of mountains rose up over the distance, as if growing out of the surrounding forest. His legs shaking from the strange, dizzying potion travel, Thomas pushed himself up and walked toward the front gate.

Pointed lancet windows gave off a soft orange glow from within. In the center, above where a front gate should've been, was a large round window, carved in great detail to depict the silhouetted head of a dragon. There was no guard along the wall, no visible way to get inside.

Suddenly, the stone cracked and a giant wooden door formed, slowly creaking open. Thomas walked toward the narrow opening, peeking into Merrick's home. Within, the black stone seemed to swallow the torchlight into its depths. Thomas turned to the side, slipping into the castle through the narrow entry. The door slammed shut and when he turned, it was only stone, as if no entry had been there. Looking up, he saw the round dragon window was still where it should be. He found it odd that outside the orange glow had shone out, but now the blue moonlight shone in.

The narrow hall was bare, except for the decorative arches overhead. Thomas went with his gut, slowly walking down the hall. There was something to the air that made him think of Merrick, as if the man was in every stone, his magic thumping in the walls.

Hearing a cackle, he stiffened, pausing briefly before continuing on. The laugh sounded again. Thomas turned to face the noise, only to find the hall empty.

“Juliana?” he asked softly. “Juliana, it is Thomas.”

“Sir Thomas!”

Thomas looked around. It wasn't his sister's voice that called out to him.

“Eh, down here!” a second voice said.

Thomas looked down. Two tiny sprights were on the ground, their voices nearly ten times as big as they were. Aside from their stature and a slight point to their ears, they looked like two small human males in bright green tunics.

“Remember us?” One of them pointed at his chest.

“Halton. Gorman.” Thomas instantly remembered Juliana's two sprights. They talked constantly about everything but nothing relevant. Though annoying, they'd know where Juliana was.