Unearthing The Fae King; Year 1

by Brenda Trim

  Ryker’s face seemed vulnerable for a split second when he looked back at her. “I don’t know what to say. I want to refuse, but I’ve never had an aunt and would love to know what that’s like.”

  Shiloh smiled and it reached her eyes this time. “It feels like this. Now you two go and have some fun. Forget for a few hours about the rest. It will be there tomorrow.”

  Ryker tugged Shiloh into a hug and kissed her cheek before letting her go. “Thank you. We will come visit you as soon as possible.”

  Maurelle noticed tears in Shiloh’s eyes as they walked away. Everyone had lost so much since the war. It was heartwarming to see Fae come together and form new families of sorts. There was no doubt in her mind Shiloh had just become Ryker’s long-lost aunt.

  That thought tickled a memory from the day before. “I haven’t had a chance to tell you that I was able to talk to a unicorn before I was attacked.”

  Ryker shot wide eyes her way. “Really? Is that why they were all running toward the ocean?”

  “Yes. I warned them to run away after I asked what they were doing at the academy.”

  “What did it say? Why were they there?”

  Maurelle took his hand back and twined their fingers as they walked and shared what the unicorn told her.

  “That’s important,” Ryker said. “We need to find whoever the king is and pledge our loyalty and service.”

  Maurelle watched him, surprised he didn’t suspect what she was coming to believe in her soul. Ryker was the Fae King. That’s why Shiloh recognized him. She opened her mouth to tell him, but he tugged her to a nearby stall with jewelry.

  “Ryker,” the male boomed with a smile. “It’s good to see you. Who’s this lovely female?”

  “This is my friend, Maurelle. Maurelle this is Soledad. Can you show me the courage pendant there?”

  The Zibu symbol for courage was gorgeous. The delicate silver shape seemed a bit too feminine for Ryker, but she wasn’t going to say anything to him. He was the most courageous male she knew and should have that tattooed on his back. Only with less swirly lines.

  “It’s the only one I made of this symbol,” Soledad informed them.

  “I’ll take it,” Ryker said and handed over some of the coins Shiloh gave him.

  “Have a blessed celebration,” Soledad said as they took their leave of the stand. Not two steps away, Ryker grabbed her hand and stopped her.

  When he pushed the hair over her shoulder and held up the necklace her heart started racing. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m giving you a gift, Braveheart. You are the most courageous being in all of Mag Mell. You inspire me to be more, and show me what true strength looks like,” Ryker proclaimed as he clasped the delicate chain around her neck.

  Tears burned the back of her eyes and emotion clogged her throat. “I don’t know what to say. No one has ever given me anything that means so much.”

  “It’s a small token. I wish it was my money that bought it, but I’m just glad I could finally give you something.” He kissed her, but this time it was deep and passionate. Grabbing hold of her hips, he pulled her against his body and ran his tongue over her lower lip.

  With a groan, she threw her hands around his neck and lifted to her tip toes while opening her mouth. His tongue immediately pushed inside her mouth and tangled with hers. Her arousal went from zero to ninety in an instant. Heat built in her core and she no longer felt the cold air outside. Before things got out of hand, he grabbed her hand and started walking.

  Maurelle was lost in a happy daze as Ryker led her to a small establishment down the street. He held the faded green door open and ushered her inside the Devil’s Bane. The bar was small and cramped at the moment. The place was so noisy she wanted to cover her ears. It took a second to adjust to the conversations rising to be heard over the music being played in the corner by a quaint Fae band.

  Old, wood tables were scattered throughout the room with four or six chairs at most of them. Many tables were pulled together for larger groups. The floor was sticky as they walked toward Brokk who was waving both arms at them.

  The lights were electric, but surprisingly not much brighter than candles or lanterns. Maurelle took in the customers. Most were older Fae that looked tired and weathered. It was obvious from their visage that life was not easy for them.

  There was a long wood bar in the back of the place that had bottles and glasses behind the bartender who was an older, gruff looking Fae male. His dark brown hair was streaked silver and his bushy beard was greyer than it was brown. He waved at Ryker with a smile.

  “It’s about time you guys got here,” Brokk said when they reached the table.

  “Sorry. My…aunt,” Ryker said after a slight pause on the word, “saw us and said hi. What are we drinking?”

  “Whiskey,” Daine replied as he held up a short glass with amber liquid inside.

  “I’m not drinking that piss,” Calla said with a grimace. “I’ve never had any alcohol and can’t say that I’m impressed, but the stew is fantastic.”

  Maurelle sat down next to her with Ryker on her other side. The owner sauntered over with a massive smile on his face. The way Ryker stood and gave the male a half hug held new meaning for Maurelle.

  Perhaps she found proof all over for her suspicions, but the way Fae flocked to him spoke volumes. She’d talk to him about her suspicions as soon as she got the chance.

  “How the hell are you? It’s been way too long since you’ve visited,” Brigsby said.

  “Yes it has. These are my friends. Have you met them?” Ryker replied and introduced each of them.

  Brigsby took the towel from his shoulder and wiped the worn wood table. “Not yet. I’d have come over sooner if I knew this crew was with you.”

  Ryker introduced them to Brigsby and Maurelle ordered some stew and an ale. When the owner walked away to fill their order, the group started laughing and talking about the inebriated Fae dancing near the band.

  For the first time, Maurelle let go and enjoyed herself. Life had become one challenge after another and that wasn’t going to end anytime soon. She’d seen enough to know the adults like her parents worked hard and continued to fight battles all the time. When you were at the bottom of the totem pole and used as slaves and suppressed, there wasn’t much choice but to do as you were told and survive.

  That made moments like this all the more important to embrace and enjoy, she told herself. Tomorrow was soon enough to worry about Ryker’s safety and information leaking out about him asking around to join the Rebellion.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “It’s time to get up,” a male voice barked, startling Ryker from his sleep. What the fuck was going on? Wind blew through the room with his heightened emotions. There were dampeners in the dorms to keep a student from inadvertently setting everything on fire or causing a tsunami inside the building, so the fact that his powers manifested didn’t go unnoticed.

  “He’s a powerful one,” another male voice observed.

  “That’s why Gullvieg wants him,” the one near his bed replied. “Get dressed. You’re coming with us.”

  “Where are we going?” Ryker asked as he slipped black pants on over his boxers and pulled a charcoal colored sweatshirt over his head. After he put his socks on and slid his feet into boots, they stood aside and motioned for him to leave the room first.

  Ryker’s mind raced as fast as his heart. The moon shone through the window and was high in the sky telling him it was the middle of the night. Why were they collecting him now? What did they want with him?

  His gut churned that Gullvieg somehow discovered he’d been trying to find the Rebellion and she was going to punish him for it. Maurelle warned him about asking so openly and he dismissed her.

  In the main living room of the dorm, Ryker was pleased to see Brokk standing next to another male. He met his friend’s gaze and saw the fear there. Ryker needed to be strong for them both.

  “Where are you taking us?�
�� Ryker demanded pushing a little of the power coursing through him into the command.

  The male’s stiffened and all opened their mouths at once. “To the Headmistress. She wants you both for the Bravo Unit.” They all responded at once.

  Ryker looked to Brokk. He’d never heard of the Bravo Unit and had no idea what exactly that meant. It was inside information he guessed, and he wanted more information, so he followed them outside the door.

  The dorms were quiet at night, making their footfalls echo like drum beats off the walls. He expected students to pour from their rooms with all the noise they were making, but no one stirred.

  The guards stopped at three more rooms and collected five more males. All of them were known to be on the strong side, Ryker noted. Several of them often spouted the bullshit Gullvieg tried to brain wash them into believing, so his fear about being discovered lowered.

  Their entourage got louder with the added members, but still no one woke up to investigate, which he found odd. It was as that thought crossed his mind that he felt the tingles of a spell at work. Someone was dampening the sound they made.

  Ryker’s gut churned as they exited the dorms and crossed toward the small building he’d decided was the Headmistresses home. He shivered from the cold and the dread coursing through his system.

  The Headmistress might not be aware of his treacherous actions, but that didn’t mean he was being led to a dinner party. She was a vile female working for the humans. He wondered what she got out of it, until he realized she had power over nearly everyone in the Edge.

  Parents feared what she could do to their kids and students were brainwashed to believe what she told them. Over the months it became clear to him that everyone feared her, her academy and her assassins.

  There was a modest entrance at the front of the building. The males continued down a hall and stopped at a pair of worn double doors. Like everything at the academy, the structure was old, but not nearly as worn down as what you found in the Edge.

  Heat from the fire roaring in the fireplace blasted him as he entered what he assumed was a study. Bookcases lined one wall while a large wood table set off to one side. There was a comfortable armchair positioned in front of the blazing fire with Gullvieg sitting on the cushion with a menacing smile on her face.

  “I’m sure you’re all wondering what brings you to my home in the middle of the night,” she started as she got up and paced in front of them. “The Edge is in shambles and it is up to us to ensure order is kept so the system runs right.”

  Ryker noticed Brokk shaking his head out of the corner of his eye and stepped in front of him to hide his reaction. With narrowed eyes, Ryker tried to convey to Brokk that he needed to keep a tight hold of himself.

  Gullvieg turned his way with her head cocked. “Something to say Mr. Isladore?”

  Ryker’s racing heart kicked into high gear and sweat beaded on his brow. “No, ma’am. I agree that things in the Edge are awful at the moment.”

  A sinister smile spread across her face. “I knew you saw the same thing I do. I’m not sure what went wrong, but the Rebellion is growing in strength and numbers. A power surge that mimicked,” she paused in her tirade, “caused unicorns to attack the school. Word on the street is that Fae believe a new Fae King has been unearthed. I want him found and brought in for questioning.”

  Gullvieg shook her head and stopped pacing. “I’m getting ahead of myself. I selected each of you to join my Bravo Unit. It is a select group of warriors that perform special tasks for me. We don’t have enough to respond to the students making escape attempts along with the citizens of the Edge speaking out against the President and his ruling cabinet. That’s where you come in. You are my newest recruits. Welcome to the fold.”

  “Are we starting training right now?” a male on the other side asked.

  Gullvieg turned and smiled at him. The male beamed back to Ryker’s surprise. He was buying all of her bullshit. “Yes. You will be shown to the training yard and given weapons. You must be ready to respond at a moment’s notice. Training will be ongoing, but that will not stop you from being called into action. When you are, you must respond with deadly force. I know your families will be proud of your involvement with the special forces unit.”

  Ryker’s jaw nearly went slack, but he caught himself and suppressed his reaction to the blatant order. This female was instructing a bunch of students to kill when she called them up for a mission. And, she was threatening their families. Sure, she didn’t say she would make their families pay if they failed to cooperate, but it didn’t take a genius to realize why she even mentioned their loved ones. It was a subtle reminder she could reach out and strike anytime she needed.

  “Yes, Headmistress,” the male responded. Others joined in and Ryker forced himself to respond in kind.

  “Clothing for missions will be left in your rooms. Upon graduation you will be moved from the dorm to Bravo housing where you will live. In the meantime, these guys will show you the ropes. Train every chance you get.”

  Apparently, done with her induction, the Headmistress crossed to the chair and sat back down. As if she hadn’t just told them they were now her personal assassins and would be for the rest of their lives, Gullvieg picked up a glass filled with wine and drank it.

  Ryker walked out stunned and unsure how he was going to handle this turn of events. He refused to be her assassin, and it wouldn’t be long before someone reported him for not following through on her orders.

  He was in big fucking trouble with no way out. He’d rather be flayed alive and covered in ants than follow the guards, or assassins, to the training field to start learning how to kill.

  Ryker crouched and tried to slow his erratic breathing. In the past three weeks he’d spent his nights training with various weapons and his days talking to Brokk and Maurelle about how to get out of the situation.

  So far, they hadn’t come up with shit for solutions. And, now he’d been called out on his first assignment. He wanted to run and escape the situation. Frustration burned in his gut like an inferno.

  Being helpless had never felt worse. He wasn’t given a choice about much in his life and now he had to kill some kids trying to escape the academy or his mother would pay the price.

  “Let’s go to the brambles and search that area,” Ryker suggested to Brokk. “That way we can avoid anyone running. No one is going through to the Edge.”

  Brokk nodded and started heading across the lawn, his long legs eating up the distance. Ryker fell into step beside him. “I wouldn’t go through the Edge to escape past the walls. Going through Furness and especially Dornwich is dangerous. The humans will spot wings and attack.”

  Ryker nodded his head and scanned the lawn. Maurelle wanted to be part of this and go with them. Thankfully, there was no way she could leave her room. Gullvieg locked the dorms down, refusing to allow more students to make their job harder.

  “Do you think everyone knows the Headmistress has students and recent graduates killing for her?”

  Ryker pondered Brokk’s question. Something told him not many were aware what was going on at the academy, but many suspected. “I’m not sure how many know details, but it seems like most suspect something. There’s no doubt that some murders are carried out to maintain fear and keep control over the Fae. We are a powerful species. I can’t see the control they have coming from magic alone.”

  Brokk focused on the area to their left while Ryker covered the right. With the lockdown, they didn’t suspect anyone sneaking up from behind them. “I never gave it much thought,” Brokk admitted. “I know my parents were afraid for me and my older sister, so it makes sense. No way would they say anything or act out if it would put us in danger.”

  “Exactly what I was thinking,” Ryker added as he focused on the energy in his middle. He called up his shadow melding and disappeared from sight. “With no one carrying the King’s mantle, Fae were left to fend for themselves. Whoever helped the humans with their attack be
trayed Fae secrets and gave them power to control them.”

  “You know it’s creepy as fuck when you talk while invisible. You don’t have to hide right now,” Brokk retorted. “How can we fight back without some way of ensuring order is restored?”

  Ryker chuckled, but didn’t release his power. “Who said I’m using my power of invisibility? To your question. I have no idea. That’s the problem. I’m hoping Maurelle will come up with a plan using her brilliant mind.”

  “I can’t help but believe that you are the key Ryker. I was drawn to your side and was ready to pledge my loyalty to you the first time you walked into our dorm. I think the others agree with me. And, I agree that Maurelle is one of the smartest in our year. Hey, if you decide you don’t want to pursue her let me know. I’ll totally go after her.”

  Anger surged suddenly and out of control, making Ryker want to punch Brokk in his good-looking face. Maurelle would never be with him. She belonged to Ryker. “Like fuck you’ll date her,” he barked.

  Ryker was searching the shadows on the right when a firm hand wrapped around his upper arm and tugged him to the ground. Without a word, Ryker pulled Brokk into his shadow and met his gaze. Brokk was focused on the lawn. The moon shone brightly on the grass. Ryker didn’t see what spooked Brokk.

  Focusing on the area around each tree was a daunting task. There were dozens in this section of the lawn. Nothing made Ryker’s sense go on alert, but he trusted his friend. Question was if this Fae was friend or foe.

  After a few minutes, Ryker spotted another Bravo team member slink around the area close to the practice field. The air league building was closest to the area where they trained, but Ryker never noticed it before being invited into the special assassin unit.

  The space was designed to teach stealth and lethality. Ryker was still shocked about the moderate temperatures in the open-air arena. It had four sides with one door, but no roof. Along three of its four walls were weapons of every kind.