by K T Munson
Nanette’s eyes went wide, but she made no attempt to pull away. When her mouth opened in surprise to match the rest of her expression, he leaned forward and kissed her. Her soft and small mouth opened wider to deepen the kiss. She didn’t hesitate to meet his kiss with equal passion as she fisted both her hands in his clothes and tugged him closer.
Every nerve ending sprang to life as she matched his desire. Every emotion he had buried and kept hidden punched its way out all at once. He leaned over her as she brought her hand up to curl around the back of his head. He felt her fingers press into his skull as though she wanted him even closer than he was. He felt as though he was drowning in her and each of them was being drawn into a sticky sweetness.
When he finally drew back, she let him. Nanette’s eyes were dark with desire, and her lips were swollen. The flushed expression tugged at his sense of reason. Her breathing was coming out in little bursts, and he could tell in that instant that whatever he wanted she was utterly willing to do. He shoved back from the bed, and she blinked at him in surprise.
His blood pumped in his ears as it was rushing to other parts of his body besides his brain, and he knew reason was lost to him. Which is why he needed to leave.
“Ethan?” she asked as she pushed herself up to a sitting position. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Ethandirill did the only thing his rational mind could act on—he bolted.
Chapter 16: Hystera
Jinq Rekis and company took slow careful steps as they descended the stairs into the dungeon. Kerrigan was oddly quiet as they stepped into the long hallway. Doors were on each side with little slots on the bottom for food and a small barred space for the guards to glance into. For a moment Jinq stayed rooted as he took in his surroundings. In all his years he had never been here.
The shadows cast by the torchlight were eerie. He could see the guards’ shapes at the other end of the hall. Jinq felt his arm hair stand on end as he grew closer to the guards. He was nearly to them when he felt something cold wash over him. He had a distinct feeling, like something was inside the shadows and that they were not alone.
The sensation passed and Troy appeared from around the guard. “Jinq.” The boy waved him over, and Jinq took a determined step forward.
“Troy,” Jinq said when he was standing next to them. “What is going on?”
“Is Kerrigan awake?” Troy asked carefully.
Kerrigan? Jinq thought.
Here, Kerrigan muttered.
“She is,” Jinq said. “What’s going on?”
“Hipasha was murdered last night,” Troy said. Jinq was stunned. He felt Kerrigan’s shock, which mingled with his own and amplified it, leaving behind a gut-wrenching uneasiness.
He cleared this throat. “How?”
Troy’s eyes wandered to the cell. “We aren’t sure. That is why you’re here. I don’t think it was anything from the planets.”
Jinq peered into the room, but couldn’t see anything. Little moonlight reached the corners of the dirty cell. He leaned back on his heel and looked at Troy. He had never seen the boy so out of sorts.
“Did you remove the body?” Jinq asked.
“Covered it,” Troy told him, “for Kerrigan.”
He could feel her appreciation and dread. It was strange to be able to feel another’s emotions. He was used to sensing the planet and the strangeness that came with those of the Netherworld, but other people were not as easy to read. It was even stranger because Kerrigan was so different from him. Despite her aunt’s treachery, Kerrigan mourned her. Jinq could feel it as clearly as her gratitude for Troy’s thoughtfulness.
“She appreciates it,” Jinq informed him and then sat cross-legged at the threshold. His senses reached out as his shadow extended into the room. The old furniture, the strange smell of the room, all of it came back to his senses. The feeling of death filled him as he checked from one corner to another.
Then he felt it. Against the far wall there was a trail of darkness. It was ugly and terrifying and caused the hair on his arms to stand on end. As he probed deeper, it only grew blacker, like he was swimming in tar.
Something feels weird, Kerrigan said, and Jinq nearly jumped out of his skin at her voice. His eyes popped open for a second and his shadow retreated back to him. Before anyone could notice, he closed them again.
What do you mean? he thought back at her.
It is darkness, but it feels… Her voice faded off.
Terrifying? he asked, trying to be helpful.
No, she said, her voice that same whisper as before. Wrong, like it is a lie.
Lying darkness?
I can’t explain it, she said, and he imagined she would be shaking her head if she had one. It just feels…wrong.
With that she went quiet, and Jinq opened his eyes. He considered her words and came to a decision before turning to Troy. The young Guardian of the Gate held his lantern aloft, casting shadows into the room where death lay.
Troy’s expression was anxious. “Jinq?”
“We need Elisabeth,” Jinq told him as he slowly unfolded his legs. He got to his feet and continued to stare into the inky blackness of the room. Kerrigan was right; something felt amiss.
“She isn’t available.”
Jinq glanced at Troy in surprise, not sure he’d heard the boy right. “What?”
“She isn’t available.” He crossed his arms. “She isn’t even on the planets.”
“Where is she?” Jinq demanded and could feel Kerrigan’s concern.
Troy sighed. “She is in the Netherworld.” As Jinq tried to process those words, Troy added, “Malthael told me yesterday.”
“Why is she there?” he asked, hearing more distress in his voice than he felt. He knew that Kerrigan’s emotions were mingling with his own. It was an unfortunate side effect of having two souls in one body. Whenever Kerrigan felt strong emotions, they affected Jinq. He shook his head to try to clear her emotions from his head.
Troy put an understanding hand on his arm. “Kerrigan, please calm yourself. Nanette has a month to serve in the Netherworld, remember? Since time moves differently there, she probably has just arrived and should be returning in the next day or so. I’ll leave a message with Malthael.”
Jinq could feel Kerrigan’s emotions swell before tapering off. As they faded, he realized that this was the nicest Troy had ever been to anyone. He had spoken plainly so that Kerrigan could understand and had taken extra lengths to reassure her.
Thank you, she whispered, and Jinq smiled.
“She values your words,” Jinq informed Troy, who looked relieved.
“Good,” Troy said, turning them away from the room and Hipasha’s dead body. “Now tell me what you sensed.”
Chapter 17: Morhaven
It was as if King Nauberon was seriously courting her. Elisabeth was sitting sidesaddle atop a unicorn. Apparently they were nasty creatures, but Nauberon had control of everything in Morhaven. He had uttered a command, and it had bent to his will. It would do his bidding, even if it wanted nothing more than to gut her with its horn and bathe in her blood.
Its beautiful coat shimmered and its horn glimmered all of the colors of the rainbow as it trotted steadily forward. The unicorn was a reminder that nothing in the Netherworld could be trusted. Elisabeth wouldn’t soon forget that the more gorgeous something was, the more deadly it probably was, from poppies to unicorns.
After Nanette’s departure, Nauberon had immediately invited Elisabeth to dine with him at the waterfalls. As he led her around the side of the massive fortress, she assumed he would tell her what he actually wanted. Shifting on the saddle, Elisabeth focused on what he was saying.
“‘During the reign of King Findivarr, the Queen’s Tears were created. His beloved Queen died unexpectedly, and he was left to mourn. As king he could not shed a tear, so instead he took them from his body and carved out an endless waterfall. It is the most beautiful place in all of Morhaven.” His voice was softer here, as though he wa
s sharing a secret for only her ears.
Elisabeth tried to hide her surprise. King Findivarr’s ability reminded her of that of the Black King. Aryan had been able to manipulate everything on the planet Croatoan. It hadn’t always been like that. Before Aryan, there had been people living on Croatoan. She wondered if Aryan the Black had found a way to emulate what Findivarr had been able to do with Morhaven, making it into his own personal playground.
“How did he do it?” she asked, her interest no longer feigned.
“If the emotion is strong enough, and our desire is great enough, we kings can move mountains.” He sounded like he was boasting. “Or create them,” he added. She expected him to send her a charming smile and a wink at any moment—like one of the cads in her book.
“Does the waterfall mirror a place on one of the planets?” Elisabeth asked, trying to sound innocent.
He gave a strange look, and for a moment she thought he wasn’t going to answer. When he did, she nearly fell off the unicorn. “Only in its oceans,” he explained vaguely.
“What do you mean?” she asked, gripping the horn of the saddle.
“Morhaven is created from the waters of the planets. The oceans, rivers, and lakes all make up this sanctuary. It expands and contracts slightly every passing year,” he explained.
“Oh,” she said, and part of her ideas and plans fell to pieces.
It was difficult to read most of his expressions, which made this so treacherous. Elisabeth knew that if she spoke a word out of place or gave herself away he would keep his council close to his chest. She wouldn’t know she had betrayed herself until it was too late—wouldn’t know she was in trouble until she was dead.
“Disappointed?” he asked.
“I just don’t remember reading about it in any of the books,” Elisabeth said cautiously. “I read about the Gates, even the Nowhere Gate”—she paused and glanced at him to gauge his reaction—“but I didn’t see anything about Morhaven being connected to the planets and their water.” He had squinted at her mention of the Nowhere Gate, but his expression had revealed little else. She sighed heavily. “I guess I have a lot more reading to do in your library.”
“I will show you the library later,” he informed her and silence fell between them.
A strange thundering came from the distance, and it was getting louder. As their unicorns continued in a show saunter toward the sound, she took the opportunity to study King Nauberon. His crown of berries and twigs was as ornate as the last time. He had a strong jaw line that was similar to Ethandirill’s and was almost ethereally beautiful. Handsome didn’t quite cover it.
For all his beauty, though, he was also deadly. She could see it in every feature. He was a hard and difficult-to-read man. And, in fact, he wasn’t a man. He was something else. He was like her father, Darienith. For a moment, she understood her mother. He had a face that could tempt any mortal—man or woman.
They had years of experience to perfect their abilities and charms. If Nauberon’s flattery affected Elisabeth in even the faintest way, imagine how effective it would be on someone unsuspecting. As she studied Nauberon’s features out of the corner of her eye, she wondered if Serena had done the same—wondered about the person riding next to her while ignoring everything and loving him toward her own demise.
That was one thing Malthael had told Elisabeth he’d been sure of: Serena had loved the person she’d called Darrin. She’d loved him until the moment he had tried to kill the one thing she loved more, Elisabeth. She’d died protecting her child. It was hard not to wonder if her mother would have made the same choices if she’d known what the consequences would be. Elisabeth stared straight ahead as they came through the trees, and she buried the rising emotion.
A gasp escaped her lips as they came upon a waterfall that seemed to shimmer like the coat of the unicorn. It fell in a soft white curtain, each droplet glittering like an iridescent jewel in the strange light of Morhaven. Elisabeth’s breath stilled in her chest. It was raw power, its magnificence unsurpassed because of its wildness. Her eyes wandered from an area further back that thundered loudly to the slower moving one that ended in a pond in front of them. The pristine water lapped against the shore.
“Though born out of sadness, it is the most beloved creations of this sanctuary.” Nauberon swept a hand to indicate the area before them.
“Everyone’s favorite?” she asked coyly, “or yours?”
“Both,” he answered as he dismounted.
Not wanting his help, she slid off the saddle and carefully adjusted her skirts. Smoothing out the navy blue poppies on her skirt, she reflected on the fact that she had chosen this demure outfit for a reason. Either Nauberon hadn’t noticed or had decided to ignore it.
Lifting her head, she strode around the unicorn. Nauberon walked to the edge of the water. He seemed lost in thought as he gazed across the pond but betrayed nothing else about himself.
“Why did you lead me here?” She wanted to get to the point so she could get back to searching for The Nowhere Gate and a way to save Jinq and Kerrigan.
King Nauberon made sure to meet her pointed stare, and she met his gaze without fear. She didn’t fear silence, only what her words might betray. So long as he said nothing, she could avoid saying anything as well. So why had she asked such a useless question? She was furious with herself. Her curiosity had gotten the best of her once more.
“Why do you think it is called the Queen’s Tears?” Nauberon asked by way of an answer. “I always thought it should be called King’s Tears because it was his that created it.”
“Calling it King’s Tears makes more sense,” Elisabeth remarked as her heart beat in her throat. The intensity of his stare nearly took her breath away as she fought to regain any semblance of calm.
“I’d never thought of it before now,” he remarked, holding her gaze like a snake charmer. “I think it was to remind himself that he alone would not miss her. That she would miss him because their connection transcended death. He wanted everyone else to see.”
Elisabeth grasped the implication. Her breath caught as it struck her that this was no game. She wanted to run, but her legs refused to listen. Instead, she continued to meet his gaze. Nauberon wasn’t courting her for sport. He was courting her for real.
Chapter 18: Netherworld
Nanette paced back and forth, occasionally glancing at the archway cut from stone. Her mind reeled from what had happened. She paused and touched her fingers to her lips. He had kissed her, and it had been glorious—right up until the moment when he had run.
Nanette bit her lip to keep herself from crying as she fought to reign in her thoughts. But they were like little ants. One by one they marched along her mind, each as bad as the last. Perhaps he regretted it. Maybe she wasn’t what he expected or she wasn’t worthy. He was from a royal lineage, and she was just a Butterfly Princess. Marriage didn’t take away that she was a commoner. He knew she wasn’t untouched—so perhaps she was too tainted for his affection. Her mind raced with the possibilities that could explain his actions as she sunk down into the end of mattress.
Standing again, she realized she was just going to have to ask him. Nanette inspected the gathering darkness and sat back down. It was too dangerous to go now. Her legs bounced from anxiety as her impatience grew. Standing hastily, she began organizing things around the room. She made the bed and realized what a sad little mattress it was. An equally pitiful dresser sat to the right. The lantern had rolling pigs, she remembered them being horses the last time. Absentmindedly, she spun it, causing the different images to careen around the room. Smiling, Nanette opened the drawers and found old and tattered clothes.
Lifting them to better inspect them, she realized most had poorly patched areas and others had been haphazardly sewn together. Shaking her head at the terrible repairs, she began rummaging around for a needle and thread. She found a spool of black thread and another of white thread, each with a needle. One was thin and long, and the other sho
rt and fat. Selecting two shirts that had yet to be mended, she settled herself down on the bed. Her fingers worked nimbly as her mind wandered to Elisabeth. She wondered if her friend was faring any better. After they’d spent so much time together, it was already strange to be apart.
She used her teeth to bite the thread and tied it off before turning to another tear on the sleeve. She poked her finger through to see the depth of the rip and wondered how Ethan had gotten it. Not for the first time she wondered how many lifetimes he had spent alone and mute. It wasn’t fair of her to expect so much. Elisabeth had never asked anything of Ki.
Ki. The name spurn so many thoughts. Elisabeth was single-minded in her pursuits. The only thing that distracted her besides Ki was her determination to separate Kerrigan and Jinq. After the last failed attempt, she had found another solution to that problem, but it involved tearing one of the souls free and trapping it in an object—much like what she had done with A.J., but with less control because the person’s soul would be bound. Elisabeth wasn’t quite ready to bind Kerrigan’s soul to an inanimate object.
It would be no way to live. She would end up a talking skull or trapped in a mirror. Elisabeth seemed certain that she could do it if either life was threatened, but for now she continued to search for a way to put a soul into a recently vacated body. It reminded Nanette that other people had bigger problems than she did.
Finishing one shirt, she tied off the thread and severed it from the spool. She stabbed the needle back into the thread of the spool and picked up a tattered shirt that had three diagonal rips across the back. She shuddered to think what had made those marks. With a sigh she lay back and stared up at the carvings in the ceiling. Closing her eyes, she wondered how much time she would be spending within the confines of this room.