I plant my hands on my hip and stare up at the bleak sky, cursing everything about this cursed realm, blasted contest, and nosy Fae. “Even if Fae know I’m a virgin, that isn’t necessarily the reason I’m the favorite.” I refuse to believe that. Otherwise, the sheer number of Fae who know and pass judgement on my personal life makes me want to curl into a ball and grow smaller and smaller until I wither away into oblivion.
“Sure, it isn’t,” Amanda rolls her eyes.
I’m starting to miss the time when she kept quiet.
Before I have the chance to argue, Jordan says, “Let’s get some rest. We can make camp under the rock shelf over there.” She motions to the left. Sure enough, an elongated segment of rock protrudes from the rest of the mountain. I bite my tongue, content to let the subject drop.
Our trio trudges over to the semi-protected area. We each take out the tarp in our packs. I lay mine on the ground while Jordan and Amanda toss theirs on either side of the rock shelf, letting the ends hang down to offer some protection from the wind.
“You two sleep,” Jordan clutches her knife and positions herself at the opening of our shelter. The sun is setting rapidly behind her. “I’ll keep first watch.”
“Are you sure?” My traitorous body decides that is the appropriate time to yawn. I try to stifle the act, but Jordan sees. She laughs.
“Yes, I’m sure. You’re dead on your feet. Rest. I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn to watch.
“Okay. Promise to wake me up?” Jordan’s already allowed me to sleep through an entire night. I’d felt terrible. Jordan has great endurance, but even the strongest person needs to sleep sometime.
“I promise.” Jordan crouches down and sits with her legs crossed. “Talk to you later.”
I turn around and retrieve my back from the center of the space. I move closer to the mountain side to lie down. Amanda is already there, wrapped up in her dirty cloak. We hadn’t washed them in the stream. With the cooler weather, the thick fabric wouldn’t have dried before nightfall. Without their warmth, we would freeze.
Kicking off my boots, I shove them to the side. I lie on my side and sigh as I stretch my legs, extending my toes, and arching my feet. I cannot wait for a day of rest tomorrow to give my extremities a break.
I settle in and close my eyes, prepared for sleep.
But sleep doesn’t come.
A wolf howls. Though, I’m not certain it really is a wolf. It’s more likely the animal is some wolf/zombie hybrid or some other terrifying creature.
The animal howls again. I flinch, pulling my cloak closer. I’m beginning to doubt I’ll get the chance to sleep. Every noise has me on edge. Seeing the flesh-eating monsters has affected me more than I realized. Prior to them, I’d had no trouble falling asleep after a grueling day of hiking through the forest.
“Relax.” Amanda murmurs. She parts her heavy eyelids and looks at me through trauma-filled, exhausted eyes. “You’re the favorite. Nothing’s going to hurt you out here.”
With that, Amanda closes her eyes. Seconds later, I hear her breathing pattern deepen.
I stare up at the rock ceiling, wondering if, somehow Amanda might be right.
Jordan and I did not encounter a single obstacle in the forest.
We heard hisses and growls, alerting us to the fact we did not travel alone. But nothing ever attacks us. Nothing even approaches us.
I lift my palm and observe the familiar line pattern. I know King Sebastian agreed to keep me safe. Does his protection extend beyond my request for help? Is he watching out for me at all times?
Or is Prince Camden responsible for the ease of my journey thus far?
I have no idea, and that’s frustrating.
I appreciate the fact Jordan and I haven’t had our lives put in jeopardy, but I can’t shake the feeling that there is something more to this contest than I know.
Not to mention… there may be something more to me as well.
23
“SERA!” Strong hands are wrapped around my shoulders, shaking me out of my mindless sleep state. I’d finally fallen asleep after reciting the words to a children’s song in my head over and over again. The last I rememeber, the ninety-nine monkeys had dwindled down to thirty before I lost consciousness.
“Wake up!” The arousing voice shouts in my ear, continuing to shake me.
Groggy, I try to force my eyelids apart, but they’re stuck together. I lift a hand and rub away the gunk. When I’m able to open my eyes, I see Jordan leaning over me. Her face is a mask of horror. She continues to shake me. “Sera! Get up. We’ve got to go. Now!” She shoves away from me and moves over to Amanda, giving her the same wake-up treatment I’d received.
“What’s going on?” My mind is a blur. It takes me a few seconds to process what Jordan had said. “Why do we need to leave?”
Jordan continues to shake Amanda even when the girl opens her eyes.
“I’m awake!” Amanda shouts at Jordan. My friend steps back and quickly yanks down a tarp, shoving it in her pack.
Cognizant enough to recognize her urgent behavior, I shove my feet into my boots and tie the laces. “Jordan? Tell us what’s going on.” I pick up my tarp from the ground and place it in my own pack.
Jordan spins around, looping the pack over her shoulder. She points out towards the forest in the distance. “That is what’s going on.”
I follow her hand. The rising sun reveals Jordan broke her promise to split watch duty with me, but that’s not all the light reveals.
A rolling cloud of white fog creeps along the ground. My neck turns from left to right. The wall of fog lines the entire horizon, and it stands about three feet high.
Behind me, Amanda asks breathlessly, “What is that?”
“I don’t know,” Jordan pulls down the other tarp and shoves it into Amanda’s chest. “But I don’t want to find out. We need to move. It’s coming fast.” She pivots and begins walking toward the mountain, away from the incoming fog.
So much for a day of rest.
I swing my pack onto my back and rush after her. Amanda follows two steps later, juggling the tarp and her bag as she tries to combine the two while walking.
Jordan leads us to a pseudo-path in the side of the mountain. It’s not smooth, but most of the large rocks seem to have been cleared away. I wonder if it was done by another contestant, and which during which contest…
Tilting my body forward, I begin to climb. My hands are placed in front of me, grabbing onto sturdy rocks or boulders when I have the chance to help me up. The incline is steep, and I can already feel my leg muscles burning. Our speed makes my steps less sure, and I slip several times.
We keep a merciless pace for twenty minutes, climbing at least fifty feet up the steep mountain.
“Come on. We need to go faster.” Jordan calls over her shoulder. It doesn’t seem possible, but she picks up her pace. I do my best to match it.
Amanda groans. With ragged breath, she says, “I… can’t go… much faster.” She’s been slipping just as much, if not more, than me. She hadn’t had time to properly lace her boots.
I turn around, prepared to offer Amanda my hand to pull her along, when I see how close the oncoming cloud has gotten. It’s inching up the mountain rapidly. It’s a little more than twenty feet away from us.
“Jordan, it’s too close.” I stop climbing. Amanda arrives at my side. She, too, stops moving forward.
“I know!” Jordan shouts. “That’s why we need to MOVE!” Within her harsh tone, I hear Jordan’s panic. If she’s panicking, then it’s too late.
“Stop,” I tell her. “We can’t outrun it. We’ll just exhaust ourselves pointlessly.” Even if we could run at max speed up the mountain, the fog would still reach us. There’s nothing we can do.
“Are you crazy?” Jordan spins around and stares at me with wide, terrified, eyes. “We don’t know what that stuff is! What if it burns our skin or suffocates us?”
“It’s not tall enough to suffocate
us,” I point out, trying to give us hope. “But we can still cover our faces with the cloak to prevent too much inhalation until the fog clears.”
I meet her eye, willing her to see reason. I lower my voice. “We can’t outrun it, Jordan. If it’s going to kill us, it’s going to kill us.” I sound calm for someone who just admitted she may die in a few seconds.
Slowly, I see Jordan come to terms with our situation. But that doesn’t mean she’s going to give up. “Find the tallest boulder you can and stand on it.” She hops onto the one closest to her. Amanda and I scurry around until we find our own and do the same. My boulder is angled at the top, but the tread on my boots grip the surface easily enough.
“Hold your cloak over your nose and mouth,” Jordan commands. “Try your best to not breathe in the fog. With any luck, it will continue to roll past us without doing any harm.”
It’s wishful thinking, but it’s all we’ve got.
I follow her instructions, lifting the edge of my cloak and pressing the fabric to my face. My nose scrunches, both from the itchy fabric and the bad smell, but I don’t dare pull the cloak away. The cloud is less than ten feet away, now.
My palm tingles where King Sebastian seared me with a mark, after making our deal. It’s almost like it senses my perilous situation.
I consider calling out to try and ask for the king’s help, but I stop myself just before the words are about to pass my lips.
If the fog doesn’t hurt us but I call out and the king’s power arrives to help, the truth of our alliance might become known. And not just by Amanda and Jordan.
The Fae have ways to monitor the contest. How? I’m not sure. But they must, otherwise, how could they make bets on us and know when one of us is declared the winner?
I am willing to bet whatever method they use to monitor the contest will show me asking for, and receiving, the Unseelie king’s assistance. And something tells me that won’t go over too well with Queen Aria.
I bite my cheek, resigned to wait out the situation. If the fog ends up hurting us, I will call for help. I just have to trust the king will be able to send help in time to save us.
The rolling cloud has reached the base of my boulder. I’m glad I’m the closest. I’ll be the first to feel any negative effects and take action if necessary.
I hold my breath as the first brush of white touches the side of my boot. My eyes squeeze shut as I wait for something to happen.
One second passes. Then two.
“Sera?” Jordan asks in a frantic, muffled shriek.
I crack an eyelid and look down. The fog surrounds my feet, some puffs travel farther up my leg, but there’s no pain. My shoulders relax.
“I’m okay,” I shout back.
I watch Amanda tense when the fog reaches her. Like me, she closes her eyes to wait for the worst. When it doesn’t come, she looks back at me and gives a thumbs up with the hand not clutching the cloak.
Jordan’s not as scared now that she’s seen us handle the fog. The three of us stand there, and the cloud continues to creep along for ten minutes.
I look down toward the edge of the forest, trying to see where the end of the fog might be. A sea of white greets me, extending into the bleak woods. There’s no knowing how long we’ll be stuck here if we wait for the fog to pass.
Jordan has the same thought. “What if it never goes away?”
I’m not sure. Obviously, we can’t stay up on these rocks forever. “Want to keep climbing?”
Jordan looks around us, then back at me. “I don’t see another option. You good with that, Amanda?”
Amanda shrugs. “Sure. Let’s do it.”
Careful to keep my cloak pressed to my mouth, I hop off the boulder. The cloud reaches to the middle of my thigh but doesn’t advance any farther. Cautiously, I take a few steps, watching and waiting for the fog to get a mind of its own and begin crawling up my body, smothering me in the process.
But the fog stays along the ground, continuing on its path, undisturbed by anything I do.
Jordan waves me and Amanda forward. When we’re closer, she asks through her own cloth, “You two are sure you’re good to keep going?”
“Yup.” If I’m not going to get the chance to rest, I’d rather we continue on our journey. It beats standing on a boulder for who knows how long.
“Yeah,” Amanda replies at the same time, bobbing her head. “Let’s keep going.”
So, that’s what we do.
Jordan, once again, takes the lead. We continue to ascend the mountain, only it’s more difficult than before. Without being able to see the ground under me, I find myself slipping and stumbling more often. I’m thankful for Amanda’s presence. She struggles just as much as I do while Jordan is a perfect example of confidence and agility.
A natural side effect of nearly falling on my face is the cloak covering my face slips every so often. Without realizing it, some of the fog finds its way into my lungs.
At first, there’s no obvious reaction. My steps are steady-ish, and my mind is clear.
That is, until they aren’t.
A scene of dancing and laughing Fae overtakes my conscious mind. I might consider it a memory, except for the fact I have no idea who any of the Fae are.
Wide ball gowns sweep across the dance floor. Partners twirl in a well-choreographed dance, smiling and laughing as they gaze at one another. The Fae are stunning in their dresses, tuxedos, and regal uniforms. I recognize the room as the same where Queen Aria held the contestants’ banquet. Except, the décor is much brighter and more welcoming. There is a relaxed feeling in the room, not at all like the stiff, serious environment at the banquet.
Every door and window are thrown open. Sheer curtains billow in the cool night air, flowing through the room, circling and cooling each dancing pair.
I stand by one of the open doors, positioned slightly behind to door frame to keep out of sight. I see a couple duck behind one of the tall, overflowing vases. The male swiftly wraps his arms around the lady’s back, bringing her close for a lengthy, impassioned kiss.
Pulling my attention away from the personal moment, I continue to watch the Fae. Several stand along the outskirts of the dance floor, conversing with one another in an easy, relaxed manner. I can’t help but notice there is a notable difference between behavior I see now, and the behavior of Fae during the queen’s banquet.
Fae at the banquet had been reserved and distant compared to the open enjoyment I witness from the Fae before me now. There’s a levity in the air that I have not witnessed within the castle walls before.
I contemplate potential reasons for drastic change in their demeanor. Maybe the king is healed, and no longer trapped in his sick bed? Or maybe it’s the queen’s birthday? The first option seems more likely to cause genuine happiness. There’s just something about Queen Aria which makes you want to avoid drawing attention to yourself at all cost, including a smile.
“There you are, my love.”
Warm breath tickles the edge of my ear. My body gives an involuntary shiver. Surprised by the intimate gesture and words, I turn around, expecting the stranger to immediately realize his mistake. I’m not who he believes me to be.
All rational thought escapes me as I see a handsome Fae gazing back at me with open adoration. His green eyes are familiar, as are his kind smile and warm expression. The Fae is almost an exact copy of Prince Camden, except for the short beard covering his jaw.
And the gold crown adorning his head.
24
“Your Majesty.” The words pass my lips, but they aren’t my own. I don’t even recognize the voice.
I’m freaking out. Is this the Seelie king—Queen Aria’s husband and Camden’s uncle?
Gently, the crowned stranger picks up my hand and brings it to his lips, bestowing a tender kiss on my knuckles before sliding my hand into the crook of his elbow.
He must be the king. Who else would wear a crown?
My eyes land on the small, pale hand lying on his
deep green sleeve. That’s not my hand. This isn’t my memory. I’m in someone else’s mind.
How is this even possible?
“I trust you had a good day, my dear,” the king asks.
Again, a voice I don’t recognize flows past my lips. Though, I suppose they aren’t really my lips… I don’t know what the heck is happening. “My day was excellent, Your Majesty. And yours?”
“Dull until this moment.” The king leans close and whispers, “I can’t wait until we are alone this evening.” His gaze travels over the satin red dress, pausing briefly at the deep V neckline.
The body I’m in stiffens ever so slightly. Based on his smoldering gaze and pleased smile, the king didn’t notice.
“As am I, Your Majesty.”
I hear the lack of enthusiasm in the female’s voice, and I’m wondering how the king doesn’t. Is he truly oblivious? Or does he not care if his attentions are welcome?
I’m really hoping it’s the first option. It’s still not ideal, but a king who knowingly pushes himself on unwilling women is a different level of evil.
“Sera!”
My mind is ripped from the unusual memory… hallucination… whatever I just experienced.
Rocks stab my hands and knees as I am bent over, catching my breath. Jordan kneels beside me. One hand presses my cloak to my mouth, and the other keeps hers in place.
“Are you alright?” she asks. Her eyes are wide with fright.
I assess my body. Other than shortness of breath and tender palms, I feel fine. “Yeah, I’m good.” I push off my hands and take over holding the cloth to my face. “What happened?”
“You tripped and breathed in the fog. Then you checked out. I tried calling your name and shoving you, but you weren’t responsive.” Jordan’s eyes are dim, and her expression remains worried.
I stand. My legs wobble, but I stay upright. “I think the fog made me hallucinate,” I briefly tell her about the scenes which played in my mind while I was unresponsive.
“You think you met the king?”
Shadows and Sorcery: A Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels Page 152