Unseelie Queen

by J. C. Diem

  “I hope you have another plan, your highness, because this one doesn’t look like it’s going to end well,” Kurtus whispered.

  Olsa and Unwin attempted to teleport them to safety, but the trolls tossed spells at them. They became encased in a yellow prison and fell unconscious to the floor. Cursing, Dacrith drew his sword and Kurtus did the same. They both knew they were doomed. They’d trusted fate and it had led them to their likely deaths.

  Spying a tree root that dangled down from the ceiling high overhead, Dacrith spoke to it. “If you can hear me, tree, tell Asha that I’m sorry I failed her. I hope she can find a mate who is worthy of her.”

  The trolls descended on them and he had no more words. His sword went into motion, slicing at the hands that were extended to grab hold of him. Kurtus stood at his back, fending off the gigantic, enraged creatures. Their battle was short, but vicious. Both managed to inflict wounds on their foes before they were stunned to immobility with spells.

  Frozen in place, Dacrith could do nothing as his sword was taken from him. He was tucked beneath a hairy arm and was carried to the center of the chamber. The lead troll placed him on his feet, then Kurtus was plonked beside him. They couldn’t move their eyes to exchange a final glance of dread.

  One of the other trolls handed their leader Dacrith’s weapon. It looked tiny in his meaty hand. Grinning widely enough to show off his jagged teeth, he drew the weapon up in preparation of beheading the intruders. “You made a poor choice by trying to bargain with us, son of Sindarian,” he said in a mock grave tone. “Now prepare yourself to join your father in death.”

  Dacrith couldn’t huff out the sardonic laugh that rose inside him. His father was the last person he wanted to see again, either alive or dead. His final thought before the sword whooshed towards him was of Asha. He’d never had the chance to tell her that he cared about her and now he never would.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  ASHA HAD EATEN MORE tasteless mushrooms for lunch. Thanks to Hexam’s enhanced olfactory senses, the beast could find them easily. She wasn’t used to camping out in the rain and was feeling wet, tired and miserable. It was nearing nightfall when the trees led her to a small hill. She stared at it blankly, wondering what was so special about it. “I guess this’ll be our campsite tonight,” she decided.

  Hexam seemed uneasy and whined deep in his throats. He sidled away from the knoll, eyeing it skittishly. Clearly, he didn’t like being near it. Neither did she, quite frankly. She travelled back into the woods until she could no longer feel the creepy atmosphere it had given off.

  The branches moved to cover them both, but the leaves rustled. They were conversing privately, keeping her in the dark about what was going on. She could tell they were excited and wished she knew what they were hiding. A growing sense of unease began to fill her and she paced up and down beneath the canopy of the trees. Hexam seemed just as tense. His heads swiveled constantly, as if searching for danger he could feel, but not see.

  Asha’s urgency that something was terribly wrong increased by the second. The trees became agitated, then she heard a voice she recognized speaking through them. “If you can hear me, tree, tell Asha that I’m sorry I failed her. I hope she can find a mate who is worthy of her.”

  It was Dacrith and the ring on her finger became warm, signaling that he was telling the truth. His tone had been almost frantic and she knew the danger she was feeling was intended for him. He was somewhere close, but she didn’t know where. Spinning in the direction of the strange hill, she suddenly realized the trees had brought her here because they’d known the prince was going to be in trouble.

  “Take me to Dacrith,” she ordered, skin beginning to turn gray from a combination of anger and fear. He’d proven himself to be a liar who just wanted to bond with her so he could be king, but she couldn’t let him die. Her sense of urgency had become so strong that she felt panicked. Whatever trouble he’d gotten himself into would no doubt be deadly.

  Hexam bounded over and leaped at her, shrinking down even as roots burst up out of the ground to surround her. He latched onto her cloak with his teeth and held on for grim life as they sank into the ground.

  Tunneling deep into the soil, the roots burst through into a cavern. Asha saw Dacrith and another fairy being held by a spell. A sword was swinging towards the prince’s neck and she reacted without thinking. Her hand reached out and turned into a lengthy vine. It blocked the sword, then wrapped around the arm of the hulking ten foot tall creature. Hissing in rage, the troll spun towards her and his eyes widened. Hearing a small body hit the ground, she figured Hexam had let go of her cloak.

  Held immobile, Dacrith knew Asha had arrived even before she stalked into view. In partial hybrid form, her arms had become long vines. Her skin was gray and her face was very nearly hideous. He’d never been so glad to see anyone in his life. He was glad she hadn’t reverted to her goblin form completely. If she’d succumbed to the evil, she wouldn’t have tried to stop him from being beheaded. Instead, she probably would have enjoyed the show.

  “What is it?” one of the trolls growled as they converged on the gray creature that looked like it was part tree.

  “I am your Queen,” Asha said, glad she could understand and speak all fae languages. “You were about to behead your King.”

  Excitement flared inside Dacrith and he tried to grin in triumph, but his face was frozen.

  “You dare intrude into our territory, monster?” the lead troll demanded, ignoring her declaration that she was their ruler.

  “Look who’s talking,” she retorted. “You’re just as ugly as I am.”

  “That’s debatable,” one of the other trolls muttered. “What are you?”

  “I’m half dryad and half goblin. I’m fated to become the Unseelie Queen and to restore the balance.”

  “We don’t care if the entire realm falls to chaos,” the biggest troll snarled. The vine was still wrapped tightly around his arm. Whoever this female was, she was strong. From her glowing silver eyes, he knew she wasn’t lying about being half goblin. He could smell their particular brand of magic all over her. “With the Dark Prince dead, our covenant is null and void,” he added. “We are free to rescue our kin from their banishment to other worlds and declare war on all fairies.”

  “Sorry, but the portals won’t work from this side anymore,” she said without an ounce of actual sorrow.

  “What are you talking about?” he demanded.

  These trolls were far more intelligent than the ones she’d battled back home in Texas. “They were altered so they can only be accessed from Earth,” she explained. “Fae creatures can use them to return here, but not the other way around.”

  “So, our kin who were sent to other worlds will be trapped there forever?”

  Spying the lamps that were actually cages full of brownies, Asha’s mind whirled when she realized she’d found where they’d been imprisoned all this time. The quest that she’d vowed to fulfil had drawn her here, using the trees as her guide. “Maybe not,” she said and released the troll’s arm. “I’m Asha Trinity. What is your name?”

  “I am Crug,” he announced.

  “With Prince Sindarian dead, Dacrith and I will become the new rulers,” she said. “I propose we make a bargain with you, but you need to release the fairies from your spell.” Leaning forward, she saw Kurtus was the second captive. She wondered what they were doing here and why they’d paired up for whatever their plan had been.

  “What bargain do you wish to make with us, monster?” Crug asked suspiciously.

  “You’ll find out once they’re free,” she said serenely.

  Moving into a huddle, the ten trolls had a whispered conversation. Asha saw two small figures lying on the ground near a gigantic door and moved closer to take a look. Her heart lurched when she saw it was Olsa and Unwin. Her vines stretched out to pick them up and she cradled their spell encased bodies to her chest.

  She had no idea the trolls were planning any tr
eachery until she heard a warning growl. Spinning around, she saw Hexam rapidly growing larger. He latched onto the arm of one of the trolls as he was about to cast a spell at her. The beast shook the troll like a ragdoll and the creature roared in pain.

  “She has a Cerberus!” Crug shouted as the others prepared to unleash spells of their own on the intruders.

  Frozen in stasis, Dacrith and Kurtus watched helplessly as Asha was besieged. She lifted her hands and roots burst down from the soil above to form a protective barrier around her. More emerged to wrap around the treacherous trolls, holding their arms to their sides and coiling tightly around their necks.

  When the scorched and blasted roots withdrew from Asha, they were all stunned to see she was glowing faintly. Awe touched even the trolls’ faces when they saw the faint outline of pixie wings behind her. “That wasn’t very nice,” Asha said, enunciating each word as she strode over to them.

  “We’re trolls,” Crug croaked, trying to control his fear and failing. “We’re not supposed to be nice.”

  Coming to a stop next to Hexam, she waited for him to shrink before stroking his closest head. “What should we do with them, boy?” she asked. He growled, all six orange eyes locked on the trolls. “I agree,” she said. “Let’s rip them apart.”

  “Wait!” Crug cried when she lifted a hand in preparation of getting the roots to rend them to pieces. “We will bargain with you,” he said in a defeated tone.

  “Let Dalrin and Kurtus go,” she ordered.

  With a look of concentration and a few muttered words, the spells that had held the fairies captive vanished.

  “Well, I have to say your timing was impeccable, my lady,” Kurtus said when he was suddenly able to move.

  Dacrith said nothing and just stared at the tiny dryad. She’d saved his life even after believing he was a lying, manipulative scoundrel. He came to the sudden realization that he didn’t deserve someone as kind as her, but he was still determined to win her hand in marriage.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  FEELING NERVOUS BENEATH Dacrith’s unnerving stare, Asha lost her hold on her anger and reverted back to her dryad form. The pixie wings vanished and she stopped glowing. The trolls made sounds of relief, but the roots continued to obey her wish and held them captive. “Wait there while we talk,” Asha said, then had to hide her smirk. None of them were going anywhere until she released them from their bondage. At the first sign that they would try to cast a spell, the roots would tear their heads off.

  Still cradling the brownies, Asha led the way over to the gigantic door. “What are you two doing here?” she asked.

  “We came to save the brownies,” Dacrith replied.

  Her ring turned warm at that news. “Why?”

  “To prove to you that I’m worthy to be your mate.”

  Her ring turned warmer with that admission. “You came here to break the brownies free for me?” she asked in disbelief.

  “It’s your fault,” Kurtus scolded her. “You’ve changed us both. We’re not evil to the core anymore.”

  Again, her ring indicated the truth was being spoken. “I didn’t mean to change you,” she said in a small voice.

  “I believe it was necessary,” Dacrith said. He wanted to reach out and touch her, but he was afraid she would reject him. Once that happened, he would never have the chance to bond with her. “In order to restore the balance, the Unseelie King cannot be wholly good nor wholly evil,” he told her.

  “Neither can the Queen,” she agreed. “I guess that’s why I’m half Seelie and half Unseelie, with a touch of pixie.”

  “Since when?” Kurtus asked in surprise. He’d seen her glowing and the outline of pixie wings, but had no explanation for them.

  “I visited my mother in the borderlands and my pixie friend was there,” she explained. “Irindal shed a lot of pixie dust on me and it seems to have altered me slightly.” She held out a hand and it glowed on command for a few seconds.

  “How did you come to be here?” Dacrith asked.

  “Hexam and I were heading back to the palace, but the trees guided us here,” she replied. “I’m guessing our quests to free the brownies led us all to the same place.”

  “We were meant to rescue them,” Kurtus realized, looking at the slumbering pair that she held with a hint of pity. “It was wrong of Sindarian to imprison and enslave their kind. I think that ill deed helped to spread evil so far so fast.”

  “What bargain did you intend to offer the trolls?” Dacrith asked. So much for his grand plan to impress her by releasing the brownies himself. But at least she hadn’t speared him with her spikes yet.

  Still angry and disappointed with him, Asha could barely bring herself to look at his stupidly handsome face. “My father knows a spell that will allow him to alter the portals,” she reminded him. “Theoretically, he should be able to link to the worlds the trolls were sent to. I’m guessing he must have done so already, because some of them invaded Earth. The only problem with this plan is that the existing portals are all locked from this side. Jake made a bargain with him to never create a new portal while he still lived.”

  “Jake is more fairy than human and he’ll most likely live for eons,” Dacrith mused. “We can’t wait that long to resolve this.”

  “The rest of the portals lie within the Seelie realm,” Kurtus added. “They would never allow the goblins to enter their lands, let alone to alter one of the doorways.”

  “Aren’t there any portals in the borderlands?” Asha asked. The trees heard her through their roots and whispered into her mind. “The trees just told me there is one,” she said and a smile blossomed. “They can show us where it is.”

  Breath catching at the dryad’s beauty, Dacrith had to force himself to concentrate. He wanted to crush her to his chest and kiss her senseless, but now wasn’t the time or the place for that. “So, our bargain with the trolls will be to allow them to rescue their exiled kin in exchange for releasing the brownies?”

  “Do you think it’s a good idea?” she asked uncertainly. She was still young by dryad and goblin standards and wasn’t confident that she knew what was best.

  “It’s a good plan,” he told her.

  “The trolls will probably go along with it,” Kurtus said. “They know what’ll happen if they refuse.” He mimed slicing his head off and grinned.

  “That would be catastrophic for our world,” Dacrith said in disapproval. “Even one more death could result in utter devastation.”

  “Their sense of survival is strong,” Asha mused, eyeing the bound creatures. “So is their ambition. We’ll have to make sure our bargain prevents them from going to war against us like they intended.”

  “You’re as intelligent as you are beautiful,” Dacrith said with a hint of warmth that was mirrored by Norg’s ring.

  A drop of water plinked to the ground, interrupting their meeting. They turned around to see tiny rivulets snaking down the roots. Crug’s eyes rolled up and a droplet hit him in the eye. “I don’t mean to be rude, but this seems like a bad sign,” he called out. “We should probably make our bargain so you can go about stopping the chaos from spreading.”

  “He’s not wrong,” Kurtus muttered as a small flood began to enter the troll mound. They were deep beneath the ground, but they could faintly hear the storm raging above. The flooding was getting worse by the minute.

  Hastening over to Crug, Dacrith took charge. “As the soon to be rulers of the Unseelie realm, Asha and I offer you a bargain.”

  “Let’s hear it,” Crug said, wincing each time a droplet of water hit him on the head. The soil was turning muddy. Soon, their mound would become as flooded as the ground above apparently was.

  “We will get King Lod to alter a portal in the borderlands so you can rescue your kin from their exile. In exchange, you will release every brownie that is being held captive by you and your kin.”

  Crug felt water creeping over his hairy feet. His entourage shifted uneasily as much as they coul
d while being bound so tightly. “I sense there’s more to this bargain,” he said suspiciously.

  “Once we’ve helped you rescue the other trolls, you’ll return to your homes and you won’t try to go to war with anyone,” Asha added. “If you renege on this promise, we’ll send you all back to the worlds your kin were banished to.”

  The tree root tightened around Crug’s neck, reminding him of her power. She was half dryad and the plants obeyed her every whim. While there were thousands of trolls in exile, the trees and other plants were countless in number. He wasn’t stupid enough to test her resolve. If she and the silver-gold haired fairy truly were going to become the Unseelie rulers, it would be best to become their allies rather than their enemies. “I will agree on one condition,” he stated.

  “What condition?” Asha asked warily.

  “You have that disgusting goblin, Lod, as an advisor. I want to be an advisor as well.”

  In the past, Dacrith would have laughed in the troll’s face. Instead, he turned to Asha to judge her reaction. She looked up at him with the same intention. Their eyes locked and she flushed slightly.

  “I suggest you two stop staring at each other like lovestruck fools and make a decision,” Kurtus said wryly as even more rain made its way through the tunnels the roots had made.

  Snapping out of her daze, Asha’s blush increased. She tore her gaze away from Dacrith and turned to the troll. “Agreed,” she said as the prince nodded as well.

  “Do you accept our bargain?” Dacrith asked.

  “We accept,” Crug croaked and all three of them felt the same magic that linked them. He knew he’d just become bound even more tightly than the tree root around his throat. He would have been more bitter if it wasn’t so obvious now that the realm was in dire trouble. “Release us and we will set the brownies free,” he said.

  Asha silently spoke to the trees. Their roots withdrew, but they remained ready to come to her defense again.

  Rubbing their necks with sour glances at the dryad and fairies, the trolls moved into a huddle. They began to chant and the brightness from the tiny cages intensified. Then the enchantments faded and the brownies began to wake up. Other brownies trapped in the various troll mounds throughout the Unseelie realm also woke from their long eons of slumber.