by Nesa Miller
“Then you’ll be glad to hear he’s dead.”
“Yet Dar lives. Tell me how that happened.”
“You know the story between Dar and Midir?”
Alatariel’s nod set Etain on a journey she was not necessarily ready to embark on. She started with Dar’s severing the noose from his brother. “Midir could’ve killed Dar. Thankfully, he didn’t.” She told of their return to Laugharne, of the High Council’s charge of treason, and how the confrontation ended with Dar unconscious. “I delved into his mind to make sure he was okay.” A shiver ran through her. “His dreams have become nightmares.”
“You saw his dreams?” Alatariel raised a brow.
“I did.” Sipping the last of her tea, she set down the cup. Absentmindedly, Etain rubbed her neck while telling of their honeymoon. She looked away, uncomfortable in sharing intimate details with a woman she hardly knew…a queen, no less. “He said Midir came through me, that I had cut him, but there weren’t any marks or blood.”
The queen leaned forward. “Did he hurt you?”
“Oh gosh, no. I hurt him, though. A couple punches snapped him out of his delusion.” She leaned toward the queen. “I don’t know what to do, Your High…Ala…” She rolled her eyes, frustrated at her pitiful attempt not to sound desperate. “Rie. I can’t get through to him.”
“Dar is a man who believes he must handle things himself. He’s always been stubborn in that way. You did right to bring him here.”
A messenger rushed in, speaking with Commander Crom. Crom nodded and dismissed the man. “Your Grace, Lady Etain.”
The High Lady didn’t need an explanation. She ran out of the room, Dar’s thunderous shouts leading her to him.
Etain shoved through the throng of wizards and Black Blades to find her husband pacing around the bed, face blank, the neck of an unfortunate wizard in his grip.
“Dar,” Etain called out, moving toward him, but a forceful hand pulled her back.
“It’s not safe, Etain,” Alatariel said. She instructed the Shalifi, the most esteemed master of the War Wizards, to open a small hole in the shield. The elven queen chanted a spell, rendering the High Lord unconscious.
“No!” Etain screamed.
“He isn’t harmed, Etain. Only asleep.” Alatariel turned to the Blades. “Place him on the bed and strap him down. Make it secure.” The shield down, Black Blades lifted Dar up, while the wizards carried the body of their colleague from the room.
At Alatariel’s command, two chairs were brought in, set facing each other near the bed. She had Etain sit in the one facing away from Dar, then sat across from her. “Etain, we have to work together. I need to join my mind with yours, then perhaps we can see what ails him. Can you do that?”
“I’ll do anything to help him.” She cast a worried glance over her shoulder. “Is it necessary to tie him down?”
“Absolutely.” Alatariel took the young woman’s hands in hers. “Etain, look at me. You must concentrate. You have to be strong for his sake. Tell me what to do.” Not that she didn’t know how, but it was more a way to help Etain focus on helping Dar.
“Well, you need to relax and clear your thoughts. I think it’s best I come to you.”
Fingers interlaced, the women breathed in and out at the same time. After a few moments, Etain telepathically united with the queen. Although seen from Etain’s perspective, Alatariel received a strong sense of Dar through the High Lady’s emotions. Surrounded by the intense love between these two beings, she knew she was safe.
Alatariel felt her press hard, demanding entrance into Dar’s mental domain. An invisible wall shot up, forcing the women to separate. Pushed back into their chairs, Etain ran her hands through her hair, then reached for Alatariel, nearly pulling her from her seat.
“Hang on, Rie. This could get ugly.”
They breathed as one again. This time, Etain mentally slammed into her head before she released the breath, dragging her mind to a precipice. She didn’t fight it. Her trust in the warrior woman was complete. Together, they tumbled over the edge into the black abyss.
As they descended deeper into Dar’s consciousness, a warm breeze rose up to meet them. Far below, a faint light shone. Encouraged, Etain instructed the queen to ease off slightly, thereby slowing their descent. As they fell farther, the light took on a greenish glow.
“It’s important we stay connected,” Alatariel said. “Do not let go of my hand.”
A nefarious voice spoke from the dark. “Etain. Alatariel. Two of my most favorite femme fatales.”
“Lurking in the shadows, as usual,” Etain quipped, unnerved by the man’s refusal to die.
“It’s fascinating to be dead, yet so alive.” Midir stepped into the green glow, a smirk on his lips. “I have to say, I greatly enjoyed our honeymoon, sweet Etain. I hope you prove as ravenous after it’s over.”
Alatariel squeezed her hand. “You will not deter us, Midir.”
Amusement shone in his eyes. “Alatariel. You are a special treat. Such delicate flesh begging to be taken. I’ve had many dreams of your body…pressed to my slab, my knife loving you strip by strip.”
“We’ve come to rid Dar of you, once and for all,” said Etain.
“Mon petit, my brother and I are one. As the old saying goes, to harm one is to harm the other. Not that I would feel the pain, but I would enjoy his screams.”
“As one goes, so, too, does the other,” Alatariel whispered. The women split, one hand in touch with the other.
“Is that not what I said?” Midir turned, keeping them in his sights.
Alatariel began to chant. “Goddess of us all, hear my plea. Do not be deaf to our cries.”
A growl rolled up from Midir’s center. “Stupid bitches. I will haunt you in your sleep and make your days a living hell.”
Undeterred, the queen continued. “We call out to you for help, sweet Mother. Watch over our brother who was born in the light...”
He turned his green gaze on Etain. “Your precious Dar took me into him for a reason. He cannot live without his dark half.”
She remained silent, afraid that if she spoke, the emotions held in by the fragile restraint would destroy the thin thread linking her to Dar.
“Make silent the darkness…”
Midir laughed, but his discomfort was easy to read. “I can fuck you just as easily here as in the physical world.” He looked from one to the other. “I will take you both.”
A scene of Dar, naked at a window, appeared. Stunned by his sudden appearance, Etain released Alatariel’s hand.
“No, Etain.”
Midir laughed. “What will you do now, great queen?”
“Etain, we must be connected.”
Etain’s heart pounded as she approached the scene. “It-It's the cottage w-where we spent our wedding night.” Dar leaned heavily against the window, his hand slamming weakly on the glass, his screams nothing more than ragged croaks. “I remember the dream. There was a dark figure in the window.” She stood beside him. “I-I thought it was Inferno come to check on us, but he stayed in the distance, watching.” Etain looked back at Alatariel. “Dar was off to his side. I waved, but he didn't see me.” Her gaze returned to the dazed man. “It was his screams that woke me.”
“Something inside the window has his full attention.” Alatariel slid up next to Dar, carefully ducking under his arm. “Be careful not to touch him.”
Etain leaned down, gazing through the glass. What she saw dropped her to her knees. “No!”
Angry tears stung as she watched Midir slither over her body, biting her lips, caressing her nakedness, tasting every inch of an imitation of her body. The greater horror was the look of ecstasy on their faces. Their laughter was an abomination. She realized what Dar must think, what he’d been thinking all this time. Fear ripped through her heart and she reverted into the scared little girl who had run for her life.
“Dar. It’s not me,” she said, coming up between him and the glass.
; “Etain, no. It’s too soon.” Alatariel reached out, trying to stop her.
Midir’s laughter mocked them both. “An inspired performance, don’t you think? You do him more harm than I ever could, mon petit.”
“I would not do this to you…to us. Dar!” She grabbed his face in her hands. “Stop watching, please.” Tears fell down her cheeks. “Look at me, not her. I am Etain!”
“Etain, please stop!” Alatariel warned. “You could drive him over the edge.”
“Don’t you see? He thinks this really happened. I swear to you, this is a lie!” Her attention returned to her husband. “Dar. Please. Look at me.” She slapped his cheeks. “A chuisle, listen to me.”
“Yes, Dar. You must listen,” Midir encouraged his brother. “Listen to your most precious love. Let her explain why she married you, but fucks your brother.”
“Shut up!” she screamed.
Dar’s gaze moved from the window to Etain. “Lying slut.” He grabbed her about the waist and slung her like a rag doll across the phantom yard. Golden eyes flashed as he stalked toward her. “You played me for a fool. Is that why you lured me to his castle? To take his life so I would not learn of your betrayal? You should have killed me that day in the devil’s courtyard. I would be better dead than to suffer this.” She tried to stand, but he backhanded her to the ground. “Stay in the dirt where you belong.”
“Dar! This is your wife,” Alatariel said.
“A farce!” he yelled, lifting Etain by her throat. She clawed at his hand as he shook her mercilessly. “I loved you more than life itself. Is this your revenge for Faux? I thought her the demon, but I now see the joke played at my expense.” Disgusted, he threw her away like a piece of trash. “How long did you think you could keep this dirty secret?”
Etain drew in several ragged breaths, trembling from the intensity of his hate. She stumbled to her feet and dared to challenge him with the only words she thought would cut through his delusion. “By the life that courses within my blood…” She pushed her hair from her face, “and the love that lives in my heart…” Clenching her hands into fists, she stepped closer to him, “I made a promise to love you for the rest of my life.” She struck him on the chest, again and again. “You are my husband, blessed in the blood. I did not betray you.”
He caught her by the wrists and twisted, making her scream. “You say promise. I say curse.”
“Dar!” Alatariel yelled, trying to distract him.
“My body, my spirit,” Etain cried, the pain almost too much to bear, “and my heart are yours.” He let go, only to slap her across the face. She staggered, but stayed on her feet, wiping away the blood from her split lip. “My body…my spirit…my heart…are yours…in every way.” Midir laughed when Dar raised his hand once more. This time, Etain caught him by the wrist and hissed, holding his gaze. “My love I give to you…forever and a day.”
A moment of recognition lit in his eyes but quickly passed. “There is no forever with you.”
She slapped his face as hard as she could, hoping he would wake from his nightmare. “You didn’t trust Midir in life. Why would you believe him in death?”
Dar spoke through gritted teeth. “There are no lies in his memories.”
“Another old saying comes to mind.” Midir grinned, arrogant to the end. “Blood is thicker than water. I’ve not understood that one until now.”
Etain peered over Dar’s shoulder, pushed away, and stalked toward the insufferable demon of a man.
“No, Etain,” Alatariel yelled, turning to follow her.
Midir howled with laughter. “Will you slap me, too, little Etain? Slap me deeper into my brother’s psyche?”
Her hand came up with that thought in mind. Just as he caught her by the wrist, she dipped down for the dagger hidden in her boot. The eerie light flashed green off its blade. Midir clamped his other hand on her forearm, staying her move. “You cannot kill me, mon petit.” He grappled with her, forcing her arms behind her back. His lips hovered over hers for a moment. She felt his breath, warm and moist, against her flesh, floating along her jawline to her ear. “I am a part of you as you are now a part of me.”
“No,” she hissed and shook her head. “Dar told me-”
“Dar told you what you needed to hear.”
Alatariel hurled her body into his, reaching for Etain. Her nails dug into the young woman’s flesh, making her cry out.
Pinned between the two women, Midir maintained an arrogant sneer as he wiggled, fighting to push Alatariel off. “Please, little queen. Your time will come.”
“Goddess of us all, here my plea. Pay back the evil-doer for what he has done, for his dark deeds.”
Midir became more agitated. “Stop this.”
“Reward him in kind. Strengthen our brother and bring him home.”
He reached for the dagger in Etain’s hand. “I will destroy him and her if you do not stop.”
“Etain, I need your help.” Alatriel dug her nails in deeper. “We have the power now. Hear the words and say them with me.” She laid her head against Midir’s back as he continued his attempts to push her away. “Save your son and bless those who are your own. You are all-powerful, Goddess. You are our strength and shield. Blessed be-”
“I will twist the goodness within your Dar until you no longer recognize him,” he growled at the silver-haired girl frozen within his grip. “Then my brother and I will destroy you and turn your Alamir pets into rabid dogs. We’ll see how well your elven whoremongers fare after that.”
Etain’s protective nature burned bright. Unable to make use of her dagger, she leaned as far back as she could, then banged her head into his. Stars danced before her eyes. She screamed, feeling the sting of Midir’s incisors on her shoulder.
“Etain!” Alatariel shouted. “Say the words with me. You are all powerful, Goddess.”
The words filled her mind. She opened her eyes, concentrating on Alatariel’s voice, her own weak.
“You are all powerful, Goddess. You are our strength and shield. Mother of protection, remove the spirits who do not belong here. Glory be to the light of the Goddess.”
Amidst screams of vengeance, Midir ignited in a black fire, pushing the women apart. He turned on Alatariel, throwing a stream of fire in her direction. Etain instantly reacted, engulfing the queen within a blue orb, knocking her to her knees. The black fire glanced off its surface, returning toward its wielder. Midir leaped aside to avoid the backlash. Green eyes aglow, his sights landed on Etain.
“Little bitch, you’re just like your mother and her mother before her.” His black fire intensified. “I will not allow you to destroy what my son and I have started. We will come together and twist you to our will. Krymerians will rule the realms, just as they did in the beginning.”
Blue electrical charges crackled around her. “What would you know of my mother?”
His laugh made her skin crawl. “You’ll know soon enough.” Midir raised his hands, transforming his black fire into a green blaze. Etain’s blue charge encircled the man, pinning his arms to his sides. His eyes burned into hers, the green fire seeping into the ground beneath his feet, his form beginning to fade.
“Etain, stop him!” Alatariel screamed from her blue cage.
Puzzled, Etain looked at her. “He’s going away. Isn’t this what we wanted?”
“He’s going deeper into Dar’s psyche. You must kill him. If he bonds with Dar on that level, we’ll never be rid of him.”
“What do I do?” She tightened the electric lasso wrapped around the green beacon, to no avail. “Bloody fucking hell!”
Midir’s form was transparent, his laughter drilling into her brain. The sound transformed her anger into a white-hot fury, her violet eyes filling with light. A bolt of pure white blazed across the void.
Alatariel shielded her eyes when her orb prison burst like a bubble, showering her with tiny blue sparks. She scrambled to her feet, keeping a protective hand in front of her eyes, and rushed to the girl.
“Etain! Etain!” But the light continued to pulse. The queen averted her eyes, pushed up a sleeve, and plowed a right hook into the High Lady’s jaw. Sprawled on the ground, Etain looked up at her.
“You did it, Etain.”
“What?”
“I believe the old man’s gone for good.” Alatariel offered her a hand up.
“How do you know?”
“The look on his face when your light touched him.”
Etain touched her jaw. “My head hurts.”
“Sorry. I was afraid you would burn through all Dar’s memories. He should remember some part of Midir.”
“Burn?”
“We’re not done.” Alatariel pointed at Dar, lost in his delusion.
“Maybe I should burn his memories of me,” Etain said, remembering his last words.
“Stop it. That man loves you. Why else would he be in such a dither?”
“What good is love if he doesn’t trust me?” Rubbing her jaw, she relented at the look from the queen. “Fine. I’ll try one more time.”
Etain walked to her powerful husband, shoulders squared, head high. “We are blessed in the blood of Kaos. We are one. I am the High Lady of Kaos…your High Lady. No one has come before you and none shall come after.” Tears threatened, but she kept them at bay. “I trust you with my heart, my body, and my life. I give you my love, forever and a day.” Dar continued with his screams, bashing at the glass. Etain swallowed her humiliation. “If you can't return that trust, Dar VonNeshta, then we have nothing.”
The women awoke, their fingers still intertwined. Etain, face stained with tears, pushed away and fled the room.
13
Intrigues
Beneath the long branches of a tree older in years than she could possibly count, Etain sat at the river’s edge and cried. She had never seen Dar so cold, his eyes so full of raw hatred. Not even in his fight with Midir did he show such rancor. Holy hell. I tried to drown myself to get away from Midir at Laugharne. How can he believe such lies? She screamed in frustration and threw herself back onto the ground.