FULL NOVELXO King of Always: Chapter 11
Isla
my face. My eyelids flicker open, then close again. Awesome—guess this means I’m not dead after all.
“Are you alive, human?” asks the obnoxious fae, prodding my cheeks with his slimy forehead antennae as he shakes me roughly.
“Yes. Unfortunately.” I crack my eyes open, and my stomach groans like a bear. How can I have an appetite after I’ve spent hours riding through the night on the back of a skeleton horse? My stomach has no shame.
He nods. “Good. We have arrived at my kingdom and must now enter the city. I only stopped to check if you had survived the journey.”
Okay, so I’ve made it to the Land of Merits. Time to check it out. I shake my head and focus my gaze, quickly scanning the scene.
A dark, velvety sky flecked with glittering stars ranges above Temnen’s head, his long cloak glowing crimson against it. So, it’s night time then. We’re standing on a barren mountain ridge. One side of the flat area falls away into a black abyss and the other slants gently upward until it merges with near-vertical cliffs. We seem to be in the middle of nowhere.
“Speak, girl. Are you well?”
More drops splatter my face, not refreshing ocean spray as I’d hoped, but Merit spittle. Yuck.
“I’m fine. As if you care.” I wipe my face with my sleeve. “Can you stop touching me with those tentacle things? You’re creeping me out. You’ve kidnapped me and flown me across the sky on your mechanical horse thing, and now that we’ve arrived, you’re probably going to torture me or kill me. So forgive me for freaking out a little here.”
“Well, if you did not enjoy riding on my back, you must prepare yourself for something much worse. The final leg of our journey is quite steep, and I have no desire to fatigue my muscles on your behalf. We will complete a particle transfer—dematerialize and reform at our destination. With your weak constitution, I imagine it will be challenging for you.”
The bronze bird from the forest plunges through a bank of crystalline, night-shining clouds, swooping through the sky and squawking as it lands on Temnen’s shoulder.
“Shut up, Hollywood,” I tell it, focusing my gaze on the cliff face.
“My familiar is called Olwydd, not Holy Wood as you say.”
“Okay. Sorry, Olwydd.”
The bird ignores me, its beak combing through the Merit prince’s hair, looking for dinner perhaps. Good luck with that, Olwydd. I’d sooner starve.
Temnen waves a hand behind him. “How do you like the City of Merits?”
City? All I see around me is an endless black sky and a craggy wall of rock. I crane my neck, my gaze scanning the sheer cliff face up, up, and up until I reach the peak.
On the mountain top sits a city of shadows, the many towers and spires forming a serrated silhouette against the moon. Above it floats a dark, formless mass, like a cloud of pollution or a black hole trying to suck the castle into space. I stifle a shudder.
“It looks like a friendly place,” I say sarcastically.
He blinks then licks his lips, thick tongue slobbering as he ogles me. “My courtiers will be extremely happy to meet you, Change Bringer.”
Change bringer. Now where have I heard that before?
For no reason at all, Olwydd dips his shiny head and pecks my cheek hard.
“Ow! What did it do that for?”
“He’s hungry.” Looking proud, Temnen pets his bird affectionately. “Olwydd is a tracker, and that is how he serves me best, by locating pesky creatures who wander through dangerous forests like witless fools. If I asked him to, he would peck your tender brain out through your ears and gobble it up as fast as he does moss elves’ entrails.”
The bird’s black-pebble eyes click and whir as they spin in deep sockets. I’ll say one thing in Temnen’s favor, scary jerk that he is, he manages to make the Prince of Fire seem like a sweet, adorable puppy.
Never show fear to a bully—it only feeds their megalomania and thirst for power. That’s what Mom always told me, and she’s nearly always right.
Smoothing my tunic, I square my shoulders and poke my thumb in the direction of the city. “Going by the look of that joint, I’m not expecting a welcome buffet, but you’d better have something nice for me to eat when we arrive. I don’t behave well if I’m not fed.”
“And you will soon find that I do not behave well all of the time. Take care with your words, Buttercup. Pretty flowers crush easily.” Cruel fingers grip my jaw tightly and squeeze. “Now prepare to transfer, and try not to—”
A deafening roar thunders from above as a wild, hot wind lashes our bodies, and a creature made of fire lands on the plateau in front of us, spraying dirt and stones everywhere.
It’s a giant phoenix, a kickass firebird, my favorite fabled creature who, as it turns out, isn’t so mythological after all. My jaw hits the ground, the heat frizzing my hair as the beast roars again. Wonder and fear shudder through me.
Part eagle, part dragon, its massive wings of orange and gold stretch wide, fanning furnace-hot air toward us and nearly knocking me off my feet.
The phoenix’s hooked beak looks lethal enough to sever a horse’s head from its body in a single snap. My heart pounds as I picture my imminent, agonizing death.
I stare into its rage-filled eyes and nearly have a heart attack—they’re Raff’s eyes! I’d bet my secret stash of Valrhona chocolate on it. I’d know those molten-amber peepers anywhere. Just don’t ask me how because I’m not ready to admit it to myself yet.
For a few moments, Temnen stands frozen, still gripping my shoulders. Then he shakes his green head and gathers his senses—what little he has. “Ah, the birdman cometh. What delayed you, Rafael? Too busy preening your pretty feathers?”
The firebird shrieks, a god-awful noise. I cover my ears and squeeze my eyes shut. When I open them again, Raff is standing before us in his fae form, facing off against the Merit prince with a heaving bare chest and…holy guacamole…a bare everything else too!
My mouth gapes wide as my gaze trails over his gleaming body, every muscle chiseled and defined, the fire demon tattoo etched over his throat glowing like a river of lava, and his—nope, not gonna mention that particular body part.
Before I can speak, his image wavers and clothes appear, black leather pants and a matching vest that perfectly molds to his hard warrior’s body. In typical fae style, his fighting clothes are over-embellished, this particular outfit with metal spikes and black feathers. He looks regal. Terrible. A true Prince of Fire.
At my side, Temnen breathes slowly, deeply. “Well? What brings you here, Rafael? If I recall correctly, the last time you deigned to visit us for the Social Sanctions Festival, you declared our palace the dreariest in the entire seven kingdoms. So, pray tell, do not keep us in suspense. What is your purpose this evening?”
Fists clenched, Raff strides forward. “You do not know it?”
The Merit prince chuckles. “Oh, he has me there, young human, for I cannot lie. Of course I know your purpose. It is so apparent that the rocks beneath my feet know it. But I wish to hear you say it. Your words will delight me.”
“I have no desire to play children’s games.” Raff’s voice is gravel-rough, his breathing labored and skin pale. He’s weak, struggling, but trying hard to hide it. “Give me my human.”
“I’m not your human,” I blurt, then do a mental face palm. This is not the time to argue with him.
Temnen snickers, his beady gaze darting between me and Raff.
“Be quiet.” Raff says to me. “Hand her over, Merit, or I’ll grind your bones to ash.”
“And what consequences will Mommy Dearest inflict upon you if you maim me without consulting her first?” Temnen makes a show of peering around Raff’s shoulders. “I note you come unaided. No guards. No war council. No arrogantly self-righteous Everend—”
“Enough!” Raff thunders, closing the distance between us.
Temnen draws his sword. “And how do you expect to slay me? Did you forget you are unarmed, Rafael? My creature, fashioned from metal and bone, retains a weapon when I change back, while your lesser beast of the natural world does not. You, my bitter foe, are at a disadvantage.”
Raff merely smirks. Then his hand shoots out and grips my arm like a vice, pulling me to his side as he leans forward and growls in Temnen’s face. Fire shoots from Raff’s mouth, engulfing the Merit’s head in flames. Temnen drops to the ground and rolls around howling.
The stench of barbecuing fae fills my nose, the smell gross, the scene horrifying. I cling to Raff. “Get us out of here. Please! What are you waiting for? Let’s go!”
“Shh!” Raff says, closing his eyes.
“What are you doing?” I hiss. “Look at Temnen! He’s smothering the flames out.”
Eyes still closed and brow furrowed, Raff is silent.
I elbow his ribs. “Come on! He’s getting up!”
Sitting sprawled in the dirt, Temnen cradles his Merit pendant, whispering to it fervently.
With his fists clenched at his thighs, Raff shudders and finally speaks. “By flesh, bone, wing, and fire—”
“Raff!” I yell, pointing at Temnen who reaches through a tear in the firmament and drags a cloth sack from out of nowhere. I know whatever is inside that bag won’t be good for Raff and me. Damn fae and their magic tricks.
“Raff! This isn’t the time to recite poetry. Look what Temnen’s doing!”
Ignoring me, Raff tips his face to the sky, his neck tendons straining. “Trying to shift…but…so weak from flying. Don’t distract me. The Five gives life. The Five changes all. Lig é—”
“Do it faster! Hurry, while Temnen’s busy grappling with that rope.”
No, it’s not a rope…it’s a chain. I blink twice and Temnen tosses it into the air. The silver mass coils toward us then wraps around Raff’s body, neck to toe, with a loud whirring rattle.
The chain must be enchanted or made of some kind of repellent, like cold iron or a fae version of kryptonite because it immediately renders him powerless. All his fight turns to smoke, and he literally wilts before my eyes.
Emanating fury, his chest heaves. “Temnen.” His low growl promises violence and the never-ending pain of seven hells. “You will live to regret this moment. I vow it by fire and ash and the Elements Five.”
Stepping forward, the Merit bends and snatches up the end of the chain, reeling Raff in like a fish on the end of a line. When they’re a foot apart, Raff lurches forward, head butting the Unseelie and sending him stumbling backward. Temnen recovers quickly, his fingers tracing a rapid pattern through the air. The chains flash white. Blue. Then purple. Damn magic again.
Raff drops to his knees, gritting his teeth in agony. Stalking forward, a wicked smile curls Temnen’s thin lips. He drags a listless Raff to his feet, wrenches me close, then wraps the chain around my crossed wrists, binding Raff and me together.
“The Black Blood poison makes you an easy conquest, Seelie Prince. And now you are bound for my dungeons. What do you think of that?”
Chin dipped, Raff’s hate-filled eyes skewer Temnen. With a dark chuckle, Raff shrugs. “I’m curious to see them. But I won’t be dallying there long, I assure you.”
Temnen’s burnt blackened face twists into a grimace. Roughly, he drags me around until I’m back-to-back with Raff and then wraps the chain around our bodies. The Merit’s acrid, charcoal stench sickens my stomach. Maybe I’ll be happy to forgo dinner after all.
“Oh, we shall see about that, Rafael. You may find your new chambers difficult to leave. Ever.”
“If you hurt the girl, Temnen, I will spear you from ass to gaping mouth and roast you like a boar on an eternal spit.”
“Tsk tsk. Idle threats. It will be a long time before you’re able to touch a weapon. The girl is no longer your concern.” Temnen steps around Raff to stand in front of me. “Prepare yourself, little human, I cannot complete a transfer and take two of you, so we are about to fly again. Are you ready?”
“Not really,” I say.
Temnen’s bright orange eyes roll back in his skull, and he starts the freaky shaking and shuddering that heralds his change into the black-winged stallion. I don’t want to see the revolting creature again, so I close my eyes, shrieking when its hot steamy breath scalds my face.
Against my back, I feel Raff’s muscles tense, then his ribcage contracts like bellows in a heavy sigh. “Dana curse you, Merit.”
Temnen’s creature laughs in reply.
Wings unfurl and flap vigorously, buffeting our bodies around, and then we’re ripped off the rocky plateau into the air, this time not on the beast’s back, but left to dangle like rodents on the end of the chain.
While we travel, Raff is silent, but I pant and moan as the beast soars to the top of the black cliffs and over the city walls.
We glide over the sprawling castle’s black spires and then the town. Far below I see buildings, some low and rambling and others tall and elegant like the apartment towers back home, massive steam-pumping factories, and gardens laid out in geometrical patterns. Peering down through wild eyes, I’m struck by the lack of people. The Merit city is deserted.
Where is the Unseelie beast taking us?
My heart pounds, and I wish my arms were free so I could cling tightly to Raff. If this flight goes on much longer, my heart might stop permanently, and maybe that would be better than suffering through whatever Temnen has planned for us.
Yep, a quick death might be preferable.
“Just drop me already! Please!” I yell to the stars.
My heart answers: Boom. Boom. Boom. But there’s nothing but silence from the planets above.
Finally, Temnen circles low over fortress walls at the rear of the city before descending toward another rocky plateau. He lands in a shower of dust and, instead of exploding into a mess of bone shards and bloody pulp, Raff and I bounce against an invisible cushion of magic. We roll along the ground like a tasty human-fae sausage, wrapped in metal and garnished with dirt and sweat—that’d be my sweat since fae aren’t blessed with such base bodily functions.
Raff somehow scrambles into a crouch, dragging me with him. I scan my limbs for injuries, amazed to find myself in one piece. I guess since Temnen’s cushion of magic saved our lives, he must want to prolong his fun, which will no doubt involve copious amounts of pain and torture for me and the fire prince. I can only hope it doesn’t go on too long.
Why didn’t I listen to Lara and Ever? And every single stranger-danger warning my mom gave me throughout my life.
Temnen’s body, a blurry bubble of dark matter, expands and contracts as he begins the change back into his usual creepy-fae form.
The largest moon I’ve ever seen casts an eerie light over everything. A warm wind ripples through my hair as I scan the surroundings, searching for hope, a sign that this moment, right now, won’t be the end of my rather unremarkable life.
Sharp cliffs drop away on every side, the rhythmic pound of waves crashing into them the only sound.
“Raff?” I whisper, while Temnen is still completing his change. A muffled grunt. “Are you okay?”
“No. The chains…”
“What about them?”
“Cold iron… Whatever happens to me, you must watch his pendant. Popularity votes are the court’s lifeblood, they mean everything to them. The Merit pendants hold their statistics…you…” He breaks off, panting hard.
“I don’t care about his stupid necklace! Why are you telling me this?”
“Just remember…it might be useful when…”
“When what?” I nudge him roughly. “Raff?”
Other than panting harder, he stays silent, immobile.
Shift complete, Temnen smooths his green locks and marches forward. Out of nowhere, three guards materialize at his side, two of them tall, well-formed, and encased in high-tech armor, the third hobbled and grotesque, a mix between a hairy goblin and a moldy mushroom. It curdles my stomach to watch the creature wobble in my direction shedding flaky scabs of puce-colored skin with each step.
“Human,” Temnen says, “This is Draírdon our esteemed High Mage, Master of the Dark Arts and Conjurer of Infinite Numbers.” The Merit’s beady eyes flit away from me. “Didn’t I tell you I’d capture her with ease? And the prince too!”
I glance at the grim, black-haired warrior to Temnen’s left, gasping in shock when I realize he’s tugging on the mushroom goblin’s long sleeve like a praise-seeking child.
“You’re the High Mage?” I blurt.
The strange being’s dirt-brown eyes travel over me once. Dismissing me, he turns to the prince. “Yes, indeed Merits’ greatest son, you have done as you promised.” He releases a rough chuckle. “And as you predicted, the Seelie fire prince wasted no time in coming for her.”
I blink, and the mage disappears, manifesting a moment later directly in front of Raff.
“The chains worked very well,” the mushroom-mage muses proudly. “He is barely able to stand.”
A dazzling flash of green blinds me, and I squeeze my eyes shut. I’m chained to Raff’s back and can’t see what’s happening behind me, but his sharp hiss and deep groan tells me Draírdon has hurt him badly.
“Pretty pretty, Prince of Fire,” the mage coos. “Tell us who this girl is to you. A Black Blood fated mate come to save you from the nasty curse?”
Raff’s ragged breathing saws through the air.
“Well?” the mage thunders. “Is she your foretold queen?”
Raff snorts. “Her? She is no match for a Seelie prince,” he replies, neither denying nor confirming the mage’s guess. “You mistake me for my brother who is very fond of humans. She, however, is cousin to his mate and thereby valued in our land. I would not hurt her if I were you.”
Brown eyes glint. “If you say so, wretched prince. Separate them,” the mage commands.
The warriors step forward, hurrying to obey. Roughly, they remove the chains binding Raff and me together. “Go easy! Can’t you magic them off? You’re hurting us,” I complain.
Raff grunts a quick warning, and I zip my lips, rubbing the ache from my newly freed wrists. The guards tug Raff several feet away to where the cliffs slide down into a wild black sea. Oh, God. I hope they’re not chucking him over.
“What…what are you doing to him?”
Raff isn’t my friend, but he’s the only ally I’ve got, and I’m quite prepared to beg for his life. “Wait! Temnen, please. Please don’t throw him over the cliffs!”
While the Merits laugh at my pleading, a thin footbridge appears through the mist. Hovering high above the churning waves, it’s flanked by walls of metal spikes and spans the distance between the cliffs we stand on and a tower that rises from the middle of the ocean like a lonely ebony needle. This must be our prison.
My knees go weak as the guards pull Raff onto the bridge, pressing him forward with two swords at his back and heading in the direction of the tower.
Raff looks over his shoulder. “Tame your tongue and do whatever they tell you to. Please, human. You must survive.”
The flash of agony I see in his eyes breaks my heart and makes me dread what’s coming next—for both of us. I turn and face Temnen and Draírdon. “Are you going to kill him?”
“Not yet,” the mage replies, coming to my side and stroking my arm from shoulder to fingertips. “His poisoned blood will do it slowly. Much more entertaining, don’t you agree?”
Temnen and Draírdon walking ahead, two more black-clad fae guards appear and take hold of my arms. We march toward a set of massive, copper-colored gates that must be the rear entrance to the town. “And what’s going to happen to me? Imprisonment as well? Torture followed by a gruesome death?”
“Of course not, dear girl. You are much too important for that,” Draírdon replies. “You are a change bringer. You must meet the Merit king.”
Son of a biii—biscuit!
I’d rather spend time in prison.