by Logan Jacobs
Danira and Ariette took their own seats next to Edora cautiously, and I sat down on the king’s other side. Kalista plopped herself in between Maaren and I comfortably and began to stare at the roasted rabbit and bowl of fruit longingly.
“Well,” the king chuckled as he picked up his utensils and tore a leg off one of the steaming rabbits, “it’s not a meal unless everyone’s eating. Go ahead.”
He looked at me with his bright green eyes and waited as I picked up my own utensils. I took the other leg off the rabbit as I tried to hold in the queasiness in my stomach. I’d never thought of myself as a guy who would eat cute little bunnies, but I also realized it’d be unwise to upset the Unseelie king. Especially when I needed answers from him.
“So, sir,” I started as I cut off a piece of the tender meat and lifted my fork to my mouth, “I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but for a long time, there was a dragon being held in the bowels of the guild.”
The meat had a wildly smoky flavor, the kind that clearly didn’t come from a bottle. It tasted distinctly like chicken, only tougher. I had to chew on it for a moment before it started to dissolve into my tastebuds, but it wasn’t bad at all. I’d have to rethink my stance on rabbit meat.
“I am aware of that fact, Racmoth, though I did not agree with that decision,” he muttered. “Alas, it would have been in violation of the treaty to attempt to dissuade your guild master. I take it you have been conversing with this dragon?”
“Yeah, I have,” I answered calmly, “and he told me something yesterday, about the Phobos and the prophecy. He said the prophecy that tells of the Racmoth is referencing the Phobos leader, and not the entire group. I was hoping you might know why that is?”
“So, I was right,” the king sighed heavily and pushed his plate away as if he’d suddenly lost his appetite.
Edora’s fork froze on its way to her pink lips, and her gold eyes stared at the king in horror and shock.
“Right about what?” Ariette demanded when neither of the Unseelie spoke.
The king looked at the Fae, and his eyes were full of a deep sadness. “When the Phobos invaded and sent us from the nether realm, I came face to face with their leader,” the king started. “He used to be a commander in my guard. A very high ranking commander at that. I daresay I considered him a friend. You met him, Maaren, when you first found me.”
“Patten?” Maaren asked thoughtfully, and the king nodded. “He always did seem slimy to me.”
“Slimy is putting it gently,” Edora muttered angrily. “He ran off with the Phobos ten years ago when your father refused to demand a change to the treaty that would allow us back into the human world. Your father told him the only way the Seelie would allow us to return to the human world is if we were all kept under lock and key. He was right, of course, but Patten refused to see that.”
“He was seduced by the idea of victory, fed to him by the Phobos,” Orion added. “But nonetheless, something about him seemed different when we met again. He was off. He’d been possessed.”
“Like, by a ghost?” Kalista asked in astonishment. Her tone was a mix of horror and fascination, and I watched as she struggled to decide whether that was cool or totally awful. It was like her horror movie dreams come true.
“Not exactly a ghost, per se,” the king chuckled. “More like the soul of a very ancient darkness, from a wizard long ago dead and gone in body, but not in spirit. His name was Zolderon, and until recently, I thought he was only a legend.”
“But clearly, he’s not,” I added. “Who is this Zolderon guy?”
“I’m afraid you are in over your head, Racmoth,” Orion sighed deeply. “Zolderon was a powerful wizard when he was in the world of the living. Now that he’s ascended to a new level on the astral plane, I fear not even the Racmoth can defeat him. You can kill Patten, sure, but the soul will simply jump to another body.”
“That’s what the spell is for,” I scoffed.
“Of course!” Kalista cried out as she slapped the table. “The spell will kill the spirit. That’s how you defeat this Zolderon character.”
“No spell of today’s time would be able to defeat him,” Edora said. “Zolderon is hundreds of thousands of years old.”
“It’s not from today’s time.” Ariette shook her head. “That’s why we were traveling through the forest. There’s a second prophecy that lays out a spell for the Racmoth to use in order to defeat the great evil. It’s an ancient spell, from the time of the dragons.”
“You are headed to the Valley of Light, aren’t you?” the king asked. Shock tinged his tone, and his bright green eyes dashed between his daughter and me.
“We’ve been told that’s where the spell is,” I answered him as he casually took another bite of his rabbit leg. “An ancient wizard translated it before they were all destroyed, and his soul is in the Valley of Light.”
“A very noble quest,” he said after he swallowed. “Dangerous, but noble.”
“Yeah, everyone keeps saying it’s dangerous,” Maaren grumbled. “Any chance you know why it’s so dangerous?”
Orion shook his head as he watched his daughter tear some rabbit meat from a bone. She never looked at him, but the tenseness in her shoulders and the way she drew her snow white hair over her shoulder told us all she was acutely aware of his gaze.
“No, I don’t know why,” the king said finally, “but the Racmoth won’t perish in the Valley of Light. There would be no prophecy if that were the case.”
“But, you said earlier you didn’t think I could defeat Zolderon,” I pointed out bluntly, “even though the prophecy says that’s what I do. Those scrolls were either right about me, or they were wrong. And I’m sure as hell going to make sure that they were right.”
The king considered me with a tilt of his head. He pursed his thin, dark blue lips before they spread into a smile, as if I’d challenged him and won and he was proud of that.
“I see why my daughter likes you, Racmoth,” Orion replied, his tone amused. “You are a smart one. I did say that. Prophecies can be fickle. They may not always come true. Events of the future are in constant motion. But it does say you will meet this great evil face to face. Unless Zolderon has decided to take up residence in the Valley of Light, you will survive. However, I am more worried about my daughter than I am you. Forgive an old man that.”
“Your daughter’s too tough to die, sir,” I chuckled.
Maaren’s own dark blue lips spread into a gracious smile.
“Too good of a hunter, too,” Danira grunted. “I wouldn’t want to be on the other side of a battle when Maaren’s involved.”
The commander had hardly spoken the entire meal. Her coal black eye darted around every so often, almost like she was afraid some Unseelie might leap down from the ceiling and cut her throat. It made me realize just how much history there was between the two tribes of Fae.
I supposed it was easier for me to shove down my uncertainty when it came to the Unseelie because I was still a rather new player to the game. Humans knew of it, sure, but it never played a big role in our lives. Now that I was here, at the dinner table with the Unseelie king and his estranged daughter, torn apart by this feud, I began to wonder why the hatred ran so deep. The Unseelie didn’t seem evil or malicious, just different. Almost more reserved and cautious, in a way, and most definitely less concerned with everyone else.
I put the last shred of white meat into my mouth and chewed it thoughtfully before I turned back to the king and extended my hand once more. He took it without hesitation this time, but the twinkle of amusement at my human customs still danced in his green eyes.
“Thank you for all of your help,” I said firmly as we all stood.
Immediately, a few younger Unseelie elves scurried over and cleared the empty plates and torn up rabbit carcasses.
“There is one more thing,” Orion announced. “I would like to send Edora with you.”
“What?” both Edora and Maaren cried in unison.
“Dad, I really don’t think that’s necessary,” Maaren protested immediately. “We have been doing perfectly fine. Besides, this is a five person team, not six.”
“Depends on your definition of fine,” Edora shot back with a snort before she turned to the king. “My Lord, I really don’t see why that would be helpful to anyone. I believe I serve you best here.”
“You and my daughter made a very good team, if I recall correctly,” Orion responded calmly. “And I would like to show the Seelie we are committed to the defeat of the Phobos. Maybe then they will reconsider this God forsaken treaty.”
Edora’s gold eyes turned dark as she struggled to maintain her calm and obey her king. In the end, she just nodded slowly and blew out a long breath from her full pink lips.
“You guys were a team?” Kalista hissed to Maaren, but the white haired hunter didn’t seem to hear her.
“Look, Dad, I’m sure if we tell the Seelie king you helped us out with our questions, he’d be more than happy--”
“I think it’s a good idea,” Danira spoke up, and the authority in her voice shut Maaren up immediately. “Edora knows the nether realm in ways we don’t. And besides, we could use all the help we can get right now.”
Maaren looked like she wanted to argue, but she just sighed and nodded.
“You always know what’s best,” the hunter acquiesced. “Welcome to the team, Edora. But, I take lead. Just remember that.”
“Of course, Your Highness,” the redhead said almost mockingly.
But Maaren said nothing and turned on her heel like her father did to stride out of the room. “Best we get going, then,” she called over her shoulder. “We don’t want to lose all the daylight.”
Edora huffed a long sigh before she strode to the archway and yelled after Maaren.
“I need to pack,” the redhead hollered. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”
The Unseelie marched out of the archway with her body at attention and her head held high. Danira, Ariette, and Kalista all exited after Maaren, and I began to follow when a soft voice interrupted my stride.
“I would like to thank you, Milton,” I heard the Unseelie king say behind me.
“What for?” I asked as I turned around. “You’re the one who helped us, after all.”
“True,” Orion chuckled, his green eyes bright among his deep set wrinkles. “I suppose first for being the Racmoth, regardless of the circumstances that surround your re-birth. And second, for bringing my daughter back to me. She would not have come of her own accord, I’m sure of it. I suppose she’s told you I’m some villainous king, and I have done many things I am not proud of. But nonetheless, as a father, you have my gratitude.”
I froze for a moment, completely at a loss for what to say. Maaren hadn’t said all that much about her father before today, but I had definitely gotten the sense he was a bad guy. It was hard to marry that image with the old elf who stood before me, the elf who had just helped us in our war against the Phobos. He wasn’t just and good, the way the Seelie were, but he wasn’t a malevolent monster, either. The dragon had once said to me not everything was black and white, and in this moment, I knew Kajul’s words rang true. Sure, the king had helped us partly out of his own self-interest.
But, at the end of the day, he had helped us all the same.
“You’re welcome, sir,” I finally responded when I found my voice again. “You should say goodbye to her, at least.”
Orion tilted his head as he looked over me with a sense of wonder in his green eyes.
I sighed when he didn’t make a move to step forward.
“Look, can I be frank?” I asked. “To the Fae, something like saying goodbye might seem trivial. I get that you all are happy with letting things like relationships just crumble and die. Well, okay, ‘happy’ might not be the right word. What I’m trying to say is your daughter is half human. And she’s got a lot of those pesky human emotions bottled up inside her. Going out there and saying goodbye would be a big deal to her.”
“I see,” he said carefully as he considered my words. “Well, then, I shall do just that.”
The king stood to his feet and strode out of the room, and I followed close behind him. His grey robe flowed out like a cascade as he walked down the pathway between the two buildings, toward where Maaren and the team had decided to wait.
“Maaren,” the king said when we were a few feet away from the team. Danira, Ariette, and Kalista watched the king curiously as he shuffled in the dirt for a moment.
Maaren, on the other hand, waited silently. Her green eyes trained judgmentally on the shock of white hair that sat on Orion’s head.
“I wanted to say goodbye to you, before you left,” the Unseelie king finally said. A slight hint of emotion crept into his voice, but he quickly cleared his throat and looked up at his daughter.
“You wanted to say goodbye,” Maaren repeated slowly as she glanced over at me, and a smile twitched at the corner of her lips. “Thank you, father.”
“I-I hope the next time we see each other will be much sooner than another fifteen years,” Orion stuttered. “I mean … don’t stay away so long this time, okay?”
Maaren watched him for a long moment. Her green eyes darted about his face like she studied it and wanted to memorize it. Then, abruptly, she stuck her right hand out in front of her, with a merry twinkle in her eyes.
“Deal,” she assured him.
Orion looked at her hand and let out a laugh as he took it and shook it.
I heard a sniffle behind me and turned to see both Ariette and Danira as they patted Kalista’s arm. Tears streamed down the dwarf’s face, and her cheeks were bright red with emotion. Ariette stifled a laugh as Kal pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket and blew her nose loudly.
“What?” the dwarf wailed out when she caught my expression. “It’s sweet, okay? I may look tough, but I’ve got a real soft side.”
“Oh, trust me, we know,” Ariette teased.
“Are we all ready to go?” Edora demanded as she flounced up to us, the brown strap of a knapsack flung casually over one shoulder.
She took a glance at Maaren and Orion, who still had their hands clasped together, and rolled her eyes. Then, she turned to me and cocked her hip playfully.
“You’re in charge, right?” she questioned. “Can we get this show on the road?”
“Uh, yeah,” I said in somewhat of a daze as my eyes trailed down her curvy figure to those wonderfully tight skinny jeans. “Let’s get that spell.”
“Let’s,” Edora replied casually.
The Unseelie woman looked me over hungrily, like I was a piece of beautifully cooked meat she couldn’t wait to devour. I didn’t miss the way her golden eyes landed on the slight bulge in my pants.
She shot me a wink, and I realized she knew exactly what she was doing. Edora gave me one last look of sensuality, and then she turned and strutted toward the edge of the clearing. Once she reached the tree line, she turned around and motioned for us to follow.
I let out a whistle to alert my teammates, and they all began to follow the Unseelie warrior.
“Oh, HC, I think she likes you,” Ariette whispered with a laugh as she fell into step beside me.
“Do you really?” I asked back teasingly.
“She was practically eye fucking you right there,” the blonde laughed back at me. “I would say, most definitely.”
“Always good to get a woman’s opinion on this sort of thing.” I shrugged playfully.
“That was really nice, what you did for Maaren,” Ariette said abruptly. One soft hand landed on my upper bicep, and she caressed it lovingly.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied secretively.
“Deny it all you want, but I know the king would have never come after her if you hadn’t said something,” the elf
replied. “You’re a really good guy.”
“Thanks,” I said, slightly embarrassed at the compliment. “So did you ever imagine we’d be working with the Unseelie?”
“Uh, no, not a chance in hell!” she exclaimed. “Although I must admit, they’re not at all as bad as the stories I’ve been told.”
“Yeah, kind of weird how … normal they were,” I agreed.
“Normal’s an illusion,” Kalista piped up from her position in front of us. “Or is the human saying ‘normal’s overrated’? I can’t remember.”
“It’s ‘normal’s overrated’,” Maaren answered, “but I kind of like the first one. It sounds so much deeper.”
Kal waggled her wide hips happily and did a little jump for joy. “That’s me,” she giggled. “Kal the Philosopher.”
We walked on for a few more hours in a calm, meditative silence. I listened to the crackle of twigs and leaves beneath my boots, all of which came in time with our footsteps. Occasionally, a squirrel or rabbit would scamper across our path, and the calls of birds could be heard among the trees. At one point, we even saw a deer through the thicket of the forest. It shot off as soon as we stopped to stare, and we continued on.
“Okay,” Edora said abruptly, and she stopped so fast Kalista ran smack into her back. The Unseelie turned around and shot the dwarf a glare before she tossed her knapsack on the ground.
“What are you doing?” Ariette asked as Edora sat down.
“We camp here for the night.” The Unseelie shrugged as she pointed upward.
The sun had now almost completely set, and we had been slowly blanketed in darkness. The bright rays no longer shone through the trees, and the rustle of creatures had started to cease.
“Do you know how close we are to the Valley of Light?” I asked as I rifled through my knapsack to pull out a can of spaghetti and a fork.
Edora shrugged. “Probably half a day’s walk.” The Unseelie then took a chunk of homemade bread from her own backpack and tore into it hungrily.