by K.N. Lee
She tore off the lace and satin, leaving herself in just her undergarments. Standing, ready, she met his steely gaze. “Let’s go.”
He gave a single nod, and leaped into the dark water.
Elle followed, the shock of the cold water startling her. Through the rushing river they swam, and fought the current to escape the cavern. All the while, water clogged her ears, and she struggled to keep sight of Drevah in the pitch black. Green light glowed in the distance, and they raced toward it.
The cold and fear ate at her exposed flesh and worried mind.
They’d left the others behind.
She focused on holding her breath, desperate to make it back to the sweet fresh air.
Panic filled her veins as her lungs screamed for air, and her strokes lost power.
Drevah was too far. She couldn’t reach him. The more she tried, the harder the current fought to stop her.
The green glow and promise of light and air evaded her, and she suffered an agony unlike anything else she’d ever felt.
She was drowning.
Dying.
Drevah turned to see her struggle, and raced back toward her.
The panic took over, and Elle lost all sight of her goal as desperation crept into her very soul. Her hands flailed, and she gripped her throat. Water filled her nose, and seeped into her mouth despite her tightly pursed lips.
Not like this.
Not after everything she’d been through.
Hands wrapped around her body, but she couldn’t see.
Drevah.
He held onto her and carried her to salvation.
Once they reached the surface, her mouth gasped open and she took in as much air as she possibly could.
Her eyes opened to see the bright sky.
And, an army of fae soldiers flying above toward the palace, blotting out the light of the sun.
Chapter Sixty-Three
Drevah held a finger to his lips, urging her to keep silent. They swam through the river, away from the army.
The beating of her heart thumped in her ears, as they climbed the rocks and pulled themselves up onto the bank of the river.
“Hurry,” Drevah said, waiting for her to climb up. He reached for her, and helped her the rest of the way.
Exhausted and disoriented, she sat on her hands and knees and tried to catch her breath.
“Come on,” he said. “We have to hurry.”
Elle nodded, swallowing back the dryness in her throat. “Just a moment,” she said.
Growling, Drevah did something that sent her scrambling backward until her back was pressed against the stones.
In a blink of an eye, he shifted. He shed his human flesh and transformed into the biggest wolf she’d ever seen.
She gasped, staring into his bright eyes as he walked over on all fours, his large, black paws pounding on the ground. It shook beneath his steps, and she trembled as he stood before her, as tall as a horse.
He knelt before her.
“Get on,” he said, speaking directly into her mind.
She nearly fainted, but kept her sense about her. She reached for him, and touched the top of his head as he bent his head toward her feet.
“We do not have much time,” he said, and she pursed her lips, and stood.
Once she climbed onto his back, he stood to his full height.
“Hold on,” he said, and she leaned down to wrap her arms around his neck.
Euphoria filled her body as she pressed her chest to his back. As he took off into the woods at full speed, their heart beats became one, and despite her initial fear, she realized this was more natural than anything she’d experienced.
They ran through the woods and meadows for what felt like hours, and Elle fought the urge to sleep.
Once they reached their destination, Drevah slowed enough for her to sit up.
A temple stood before them, just off to the left of the village. It was enclosed by a wall that was merely as tall as a man, but stretched around the entire perimeter, like the Castilan Palace. The grass and grounds were perfectly manicured, and monks clothes in drab, brown robes littered the paths and gardens, executing their tasks.
Trees with white leaves lined the paths on either side, and Elle almost wondered if what she witnessed was real.
Memories of the monastery returned. There were some aspects that she missed. Then, there were others she cringed at remembering.
Father Lewis was just one of the awful gifts the monastery had to give.
“Right,” Drevah said through their mental link as they approached the temple. “Welcome to Craven Monastery.”
From his back, her eyes widened as she gazed at its impressive architecture.
Two monks pushed it open and stepped back so that they could enter.
They stopped just inside the main courtyard, where the stables were located.
“Hop off,” he said, and she did as she was told.
Once she stood at his side, he shifted back into his human form and towered over her. For a moment, she missed him in his wolf form. Dizzy, she nearly toppled over.
Drevah caught her in his arms, and held her steady.
“Stay with me,” he said, softly, holding her close.
Together, they waited before a tall, stone building with a large, red door.
“This is it,” he said, and Elle looked upward to the gray, stone towers.
As he said those words, the red door was opened and there stood an older man with a staff. Long, golden hair hung over his shoulders.
With a clean-shaven face and bright, blue eyes, he had a striking resemblance to her father—so much so that she almost couldn’t breathe, and tears burned her eyes as she stared at him.
Then, as he stepped forward, her entire body shook with disbelief.
“Elle,” he said, smiling with tears in his eyes.
She clasped her hand over her mouth.
“Father?”
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A Look at Throne of Deceit
The sound of hooves thundering down the main road rang in Elise’s ears.
She jumped up from her spot on the ground. A summer breeze wafted through, sweeping ebony hair around her face as she peered downward.
Sure enough, it was an armored messenger, astride a horse, with a red banner in his hand.
Elise raced through the garden to the road at the outskirts of the grounds of Devynshire Castle.
Bright sunlight cascaded through the trees, highlighting every ebony wave as she bounded down the grassy, poppy-littered hill.
“Elise,” Lady Devyn, shouted after her, shielding her eyes from her spot on the blanket sprawled across the grass. “Where are you going?”
“The messenger!” Elise shouted to her mother. “He’s here.”
As she glanced over her shoulder, she caught a glimpse of her mother’s smirk as she waved her on.
At eighteen, this would be her last year of seclusion from the world.
Today, she just wanted to be a young lady, fuss over what elaborate gown she would wear, and try her charms on handsome suitors from all over the realm.
Despite the fact that several eligible young men would be in attendance, her sights were set on only one—one very special prince.
Practically giddy, she grinned to herself. To think, she might have her choice of husband in just a few short days.
A giggle escaped her lips as she skidded to a stop, right before the messenger who leaped from his horse and gave her a bow with his head.
“Good day, Harry,” Elise said with a slight curtsy.
Harry cleared his throat. “Good day to you, my lady.”
“Do you have something for me?” Elise’s eyes peered at his brown satchel, hoping to catch a letter or parcel with the crest of the kingdom of Arundell on it.
&
nbsp; “Hmmm,” Harry said, rummaging through his bag. “I don’t believe I saw anything for you today.”
Shoulders slumping, Elise sucked her teeth. “Nonsense. You wouldn’t be here without a message,” she said, leaving the plush grass to stand on the hard-packed dirt road that led through the forest and to town.
“Aye, I have a message for your mother,” he said.
“It can’t be!” Forgetting decorum, she stood right before Harry and dug her hands into the bag.
Instead of scolding her, he chuckled. “All right! All right,” he said and pulled out a cream-colored envelope with the Arundell seal of a golden lion.
“You scoundrel!”
Elise took the envelope, a smile spreading from ear-to-ear. He handed her another letter, and with a giggle, she ran back toward the castle.
“You’re welcome,” Harry shouted after her with a laugh.
Looking over her shoulder, Elise shouted back. “Thank you!” She gathered her skirts in her hand and quickened her speed.
Smiling, her mother sat on her knees and ushered her back to their picnic.
“What is it, dear?”
Elise grinned, plopping back down onto their blanket and handing her mother the letters—one from Arundell, and another from the palace in Perth.
She picked up Princess Polly, her pet pig, and held her in her arms as she watched her mother open the letters.
Her grandmother Inora emerged from the castle to join their picnic.
“Morning, Grandmama,” Elise said, and she nodded to her.
“Good morning,” Inora replied. “What is all of the fuss about? Another cut in the household budget?”
Inora stood, towering over them, her hands clasped before her gray gown.
Her auburn hair was worn in a bun with a black veil secured to it.
“Just the best news ever,” Elise said as her mother held the seal up for Inora to see.
“Prince Tolwin will be in attendance,” she said, and gave Elise a wink.
Inora eyed the letter and nodded, though her mouth remained in a single line. “Is this what you truly want? A match with Prince Tolwin?”
“What kind of question is that?” Elise asked. “Of course, I do. He’d be a perfect match. Not only is he the crown prince of an empire, but he is closer to my age than most of the suitors I would consider.”
“She is the king’s only daughter,” Mother said, lowering the letter. “It could unite the kingdoms.”
Inora snorted, and lowered herself to sit with them. “That would be true if King Caden were a rational man, Seyena. Alas, he is not, and chances are that he will keep Elise imprisoned in this place until her death.”
Shoulders slumping, Elise and her mother shared a look of worry. She’d only ever heard stories of her father. How when he came to see her as a baby, he didn’t hug, kiss, or hold her. It was said that he looked at Elise as if she were a monster. Perhaps that was why he kept her prisoner in her home.
“Let’s pray that isn’t true,” Seyena said.
“Didn’t Prince Tolwin just run off to fight in the Tidelands?” Inora asked.
“What does that matter? It is the duty of a prince to act in service for his kingdom,” Elise pointed out as she kissed Princess Polly’s snout. She fed the pig a strawberry, and then popped one into her own mouth.
“It is also the duty of a prince to marry whomever his father chooses. Do you think the king would choose a bastard for his son?”
That stung. All traces of a smile faded from Elise’s face. She stood and frowned down at her grandmother.
“Thank you,” she said, taking the letter, as tears stung the backs of her eyes. “For reminding me what I am; a bastard—someone not worth loving.”
She turned to head toward the forest where her favorite place of solitude awaited. The Crystal River ran through the Hempstead countryside and all the way to Perth. It was the only place she felt safe, or at home, despite the stone walls that made up the castle she had been forced to live in since she was born.
“Elise,” Inora called after her. “That is not what I am reminding you of, dear. It couldn’t be further from the truth. You are loved, and you are more than a bastard. More than anything you have ever dreamed. When you see that, you will know the truth of your fate.”
Ignoring her, Elise trudged away from the castle and to the grove where the falls frothed and pooled and glistened beneath what trails of sunlight shone through the ancient trees.
Didn’t Inora understand that marriage was the only way she’d be free to truly live? She had to know that Elise craved a life of her own.
Her father would never let her leave Devynshire Castle, unless it was by being bound to a man of great standing—one he could use as an ally. Of course, that wasn’t all she wanted out of life. But, Tolwin was the best option. He hadn’t been promised to any of the other eligible princesses in the realm, or anyone of great standing.
She was the natural choice.
Dark stones lined the river, and piled onto one another just before the white falls. She sat on the cool rocks with a sigh and kissed Princess Polly on the top of her fuzzy spotted, pink head. She brushed her hair back over her shoulder, and opened the letter.
Just the fact that the prince had agreed to come to her coming-out ball was a sign that things might be changing.
Princess Polly snorted and Elise smiled down at her despite the tears on her cheeks.
She brought the letter to her nose and sniffed the parchment, hoping for a brief whiff of his scent. There wasn’t any. His father had probably signed the letter.
Once she’d read it through, she placed it onto the water and watched it float down the river.
She rested her cheek on her bare knees and followed it as it curved and vanished around the bend.
The sound of the forest sang to her, and as she hugged Princess Polly close to her chest, she prayed for an escape from her life in exile.
A Look at The Blood Lottery
Whispers. Beckoning. The trees in the distance rustled as if in greeting, urging me to take the leap, and shed my dismal life.
If only I had the courage.
I scraped caked-in blood from my ragged fingertips. Me and the other workers had toiled for hours while the cold wind blew at our backs.
As I stood at the top of The Wall, overlooking what was left of the Old World, I coughed and rubbed at my frozen nose. Wetness smeared on my knuckles, only making me colder.
From this high up, the quiet and peace was worth every frozen finger and toe. For a moment, I pretended to be free, picturing myself at the helm of a ship as it sailed across the Karcadian Sea.
Veruth was the largest kingdom on the Aranthian continent, but none of us would know it. We’d never been outside of those walls.
“See anything, Ava?” Ford asked, breaking me from my thoughts. He called up from the platform just below mine. “Any monsters? Anything at all?”
I glanced down at him, his murky, brown eyes hooded by thick black hair that constantly whipped into his face as the Northern winds continued their assault.
Taking another look, I wished I had seen something. Was the mysterious Dark out there, floating around and breeding new terrors like the elves and our ancestors said?
So far, I’d never seen it. Some wondered if it even existed. Centuries had passed since it had shown itself. No luck catching a glimpse today. But, to the east, over the city, I did see the magical Sky Keep where the elvish monks lived. Though faint, I could see wyverns flying above it, weaving in and out of the thick clouds.
I’d give anything to go there one day, even if just for a moment.
I shook my head. “Nothing,” I said, glancing back up as I held onto the black pole at the top of the stone structure meant to protect us from the creatures across the wall.
The unnerving silence on the other side always captivated me since I’d taken this job. While we were slaves within the walls, there was such eerie beauty in the wilderness. As I gaze
d into the horizon, mountains emerged from the thick green of the forest, and the sea stretched all across the east.
This was just my first week helping tar and stack heavy stones onto the top. For years, the humans had made the wall taller and more fortified, and each year we began to wonder whether it was meant to keep something out…or to keep us in.
I already knew the answer to that question, but we worked nonetheless, feigning ignorance and convincing ourselves that the sun elves who had invaded our land had our safety in mind.
“Oy,” a loud shout came from far to the right.
I shuddered, turning to meet the hawk-like glare of Hyatt, the task master. Silvery-white hair whipped around my face as our gazes met.
His pointed ears were red from the cold, yet the cruelty in his glowing amber eyes betrayed nothing of his discomfort.
I dreaded the lashing of his long, enchanted whip, lip trembling as I eyed it, waiting for it to snap out and slash my face or back open.
Damned sun elf. It was as if our peace only angered them even though we did the menial work that built the city. Nonetheless, we kept our heads down, executed our tasks, and sealed our mouths closed.
“Get back to work,” he ordered, and everyone turned their attention to their respective jobs pulling stones up from the ground.
There were hundreds on the wall, old and young, children, and the outcast class of gnomes. No matter where we came from, we were all slaves.
Quickly ducking down, I accepted the next block of stone and used all of my strength to slide it to the top of the wall. As I leaned down and got the next one, a wyvern swept in, stunning me. Black wings blotted out the faint light of the sun, silver claws glistening.
Instead of flying away, it lunged into my face, knocking me from the safety of my spot on the platform.
I screamed. Though I tried to catch myself, another gust of wind blew at me and my descent into the foggy abyss began.
Ford reached for me.
He missed, his hand sliding up my arm and catching nothing but air.