When he came out of his bedroom showered and in clean clothes, Darby was still in her bedroom, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Heading for the kitchen, he found the men camped out, sandwiches in front of them, in an animated discussion. He looked at them, then shook his head and joined them at the table.
“Nice to see you making yourselves at home,” he said, grabbing a plate and making a sandwich. “Did you bring it?”
Keaton patted his pocket. “Right here, but I think you’ve lost your mind.”
“Keaton’s right, Colin; have you thought this through? You could lose the crown, or worse,” Jamison said.
His answer was cut off by the sound of Darby’s door opening, then the sound of her footsteps coming down the hallway. The room fell silent, and they all turned to the door, waiting for Darby to appear. When she walked into the room, Colin beamed, Jamison scowled, and the other two men could only stare. Showered and dressed for a day at the store, her hair hanging loose to her waist, eyes sparkling in the sunlight coming in the window, she looked beautiful.
“Okay, now I see it,” Keaton said, elbowing Colin. “She cleans up pretty nice.”
“You should have seen her last night,” he said, making her blush.
***Darby***
It was strange to see her kitchen full of men, but once the teasing stopped, she discovered that it wasn’t so bad. Jamison was still watching her with an expression that conveyed nothing but distrust, and she didn’t blame him; she would have felt the same way. But Colin ignored him, got her a chair, and made her sit down with them, then put his arm around her shoulders, making it clear that she was part of the discussion.
“What did you find out?” he asked Jamison, who was still eyeing her suspiciously.
“It looks like some of what you said is true,” he said, finally taking his eyes off Darby. “But no one has even whispered about a storm demon or anything like that.”
Colin sighed. “I knew it wouldn’t be that easy,” he said. “You probably didn’t go to the right places.”
Just then, the front door flew open, and Eli came striding inside, looked around the room, and said, “Okay what’s going on here? Who are you and what are you doing to Darby?”
She jumped to her feet. “Eli, calm down,” she said, walking over to him.
“Someone told me that there were three desperate-looking men headed up here, so I came as soon as I could,” he said, his eyes sweeping around the room, but not finding what he expected. “Darby, what’s going on?”
Colin got to his feet. “You are a hard man to track down, Eli,” he said. “Won’t you join us? We need your help.”
Eli looked at Colin, and then at her. She smiled. “Please, Eli, Ballentine is in trouble.”
“And you think he’s going to fix it?” Eli asked, still bristling with anger.
“Just sit down and listen to us, please, Eli,” she hated to beg but sensed that Eli was their only hope. “We need someone who knows this town, all of it.”
As he listened to Colin describing what they’d overheard in the harbor, Eli began to relax, but when he heard about the water demon, the tension returned. “Honestly, I’m not surprised to hear that Samuel is behind this; he’s been trouble for the town for a long time, but I guess he’s decided that fleecing us isn’t enough.”
“You know Samuel?” Darby asked, a bit surprised.
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that I know him, but most of us know about him. He’s behind the higher taxes, the extra payments to the guards, and just about everything evil that goes on in town. He spends a lot of time hanging around one of the bars on the other side of town.”
“You’ve seen him there?” Jamison asked.
“All the time, and I’ve heard that there are several other places that he runs around town. Places not even I would dare to go into,” Eli said. “Now that I think about it, there is one guy he always hangs out with, a really ugly-looking man who has a reputation for dealing in black magic.”
There was silence around the table, then Darby said, “That has to be him.”
“But where does that leave us? How do we get our hands on this water demon or whatever it is?” Reese asked.
“Can we even get our hands on it?” Keaton asked.
“You can’t hold the demon,” she said, swallowing when all eyes turned to her. “But it can be held in something made of glass, a bottle or a jar maybe. It’s released by taking the top off and reciting a spell, and once it begins, it won’t stop until it’s done all the damage it can.”
“So, Samuel or someone else had to release it and say a spell?” Jamison asked. “How do you know that?”
Darby got up from the table, went to the pantry, and reached up on the highest shelf. When she came back, she had a book in her hands. Wrapped in ancient fabric, it gave off the slight scent of age and decay. She set it on the table, and the men all leaned back a little.
“This book belonged to my great-grandmother; she was a witch,” she said, then unwrapped the book and stood back. “It’s been passed down from generation to generation. My grandmother made me study it every day. She wanted to make sure that when the time came, I’d know what to do with the magic inside me.”
“You are a witch,” Jamison said, getting up from the table and pointing his finger at Darby. “I knew it. You’ve put a spell on him, turned him into a farmer.”
Colin laughed, but Darby was frightened by Jamison and started to back away. “She hasn’t put me under any spell but the spell of love. Darby’s made me a better man because of the Fae in her, not the magic, but she is going to use that magic to save Ballentine, and we’re going to help her.”
Jamison looked like he wanted to protest, but sat back down and Darby relaxed. “I can find the demon. If I get close enough, I’ll be able to feel him,” she said, looking up at Colin. “If we know when Samuel has the demon, we’ll be able to stop him.”
“We have to find that man he’s been seen with. He has to be the key to the whole thing,” Jamison said, not looking at Darby.
“I saw him just before those men came riding up to tell me you were in trouble,” Eli said. “He was going into that bar over by the racetrack; you know, the one that has rooms to rent.”
“Then that’s where we’re going,” Jamison said. “But we’re not taking her with us. I still don’t trust her.”
“I wouldn’t let Darby go into that place with us anyway, but you’d better learn to trust her, because in a few minutes, I hope she’ll be your sister-in-law,” Colin said, looking over at Keaton, who reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring.
Chapter Twenty
***Colin***
For the rest of his life, he’d remember the look on Darby’s face when he held the ring up and asked, “Darby, will you marry me?”
“Right now?” she asked, looking around the room.
“I can’t think of a better time than right now,” he said. “I don’t want to wait any longer to begin our lives together. Keaton can perform the ceremony, and hopefully, Eli will be our witness.”
He could see the indecision on her face. “I love you, Darby, and that’s not going to change.”
“But what about your parents? The king and queen aren’t going to like it; there is a ban, you know,” she said, her eyes going from the ring to his face.
Colin reached out and stroked her face. “Well, I always said that rules are made to be broken, and I think that’s a very bad rule. Will you break it with me?”
It wasn’t hard to decide then. Grinning at him, she said, “I’ve always wanted to be a rule breaker.”
Colin beamed at her, then turned to Keaton. “Will you help us break some rules?”
Keaton grinned. “I’d be pleased to break a few rules with you,” he said, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket. “I filed the paperwork in the high court and the lower court on my way here today. Do you want a ceremony or do you just want to sign?”
Darby looked up at Colin. “I don’t need a
ceremony, just to know that you’re mine forever,” he said.
“Then lets just sign,” she said.
He slipped the ring on her finger, and then with Eli, watching they signed the marriage documents; he added his signature, and it was over. Sweeping her into his arms, he asked, “Do you feel any different? Technically, you’re a princess now.”
Darby stared up at him in fear. “A princess?”
“Sure, if I take the throne someday, you’ll be the queen, and you’re going to make an excellent queen,” he said, then kissed her until he felt all her fear melt away.
When he let her go, she looked up at him and said, “I hope so.”
“As much as I’d like to let you two enjoy your nuptials,” Reese said, interrupting the kiss that Colin was about to give Darby, “we have to get ready for tonight.”
The rest of the afternoon sped by as Eli and Darby helped the men disguise themselves for their trip to the bar where Samuel was often found. It was easy enough for Colin, who just put on the clothes he’d had on earlier, then covered himself in dust; the other three took a bit more work. But when they were finished, Colin was sure that they’d blend in just fine.
As the time drew nearer for them to leave, Colin noticed that Darby had disappeared. He finally found her pacing back and forth across the porch, a worried look on her face. When he came up behind her and put his arms around her, she tensed up at first and relaxed back against him. They stood that way for a long time, the silence between them heavy with the knowledge that Colin would be in danger that night.
“I’m going with you,” she finally said, turning to face him. “I can’t let you go alone. Something keeps telling me that I have to go.”
Colin studied her face. “Darby, I can’t put you in that kind of danger,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”
She looked into his eyes and said, “I can protect myself, Colin, and I can protect you, but only if I’m there. I can’t do anything from here. I’ll stay out of the way, hide in a dark corner so no one sees me, but I’m going.”
“Is there any way I can talk you out of it?” he asked, seeing the stubbornness in her eyes and knowing that she’d already made up her mind.
“I’m going, Colin,” she said.
He sighed, knowing she’d won. “Okay, but you can’t go looking like that. We have to ugly you up, and a lot.”
“Cinderella in reverse,” she said, reaching up and wrapping her arms around him. “Will you still love me when I’m ugly?”
“I will love you no matter what, Darby; ugly, beautiful, old, or fat, I’ll always love you,” he said, lowering his head to hers and capturing her mouth in a kiss that burned hot between them.
When they headed for town, slipping one by one through the woods and into town, Colin trailed Darby the entire way. He’d agreed to let her slip into the bar first, although it had been a big battle, and he watched from the shadows as she disappeared through the door, his heart pounding in his chest. But it wasn’t long before Jamison, a patch over one eye, went in behind her, and he could breathe freely again.
He was the last one to enter the dark shadows of the bar, and as he sauntered up to the table where the other men waited, he scanned the room looking for Darby. She was tucked as far back in the corner as she could be, slumped over the table. She looked like she’d collapsed there, the drink in front of her untouched. He shivered when he looked around the room and saw the men gathered there, but they seemed to be ignoring her as she’d promised.
They’d just given their order to a waitress that looked like she’d seen better days when the door opened, letting in a gust of wind and Samuel. He looked around him, then snapped his fingers, and the bartender went scurrying through a set of doors, returning only a few minutes later with the man from the docks. No one at the table moved, but their eyes were flicking back and forth in silent communication.
***Darby***
Darby peeked through her arms, wishing she’d chosen not to slump over on the table, which was sticky and smelled like stale alcohol and something she didn’t even want to think about. But then Samuel walked in the door, and her discomfort was forgotten as her heart began to pound. When a man came out of the back of the bar, and they headed for a table not far from her, she sat up, snorting as if she’d been asleep, then pretended to take a massive swallow of her drink.
The two men paid her no notice, and the bartender was too busy watching them to pay her any attention. “Do you have the money?” the other man asked Samuel.
“I want you to double the power of the demon this time,” Samuel said. “I’ve brought enough extra to cover your trouble.”
The man stared at him a second. “Do you know what you’re asking for? That will destroy the entire town, and most of the royal compound,” he said.
“I am aware of that, but things have changed, and I need to speed things up,” Samuel said. “My friends have decided to join us a bit sooner than we originally planned.”
The man nodded. “As you wish, but can I ask how long I have to get out of town?”
“Let me just say, the sooner, the better; it’s going to be a long night for Ballentine,” Samuel said, sliding a pouch across the table.
The man looked a little shocked but took the pouch and headed back to the bar. He stopped and whispered something in the bartender’s ear, then disappeared through the door. Darby knew that she had to do something, had to warn Colin that they couldn’t let Samuel out of their sight, that time had run out.
Sitting up quickly, she snorted and reached for her drink, purposely spilling it on the table. Moaning as if she were in pain, she watched the drink drip off the table and onto the floor, then grunting and groaning, pushed herself to her feet. As she shuffled by Samuel, she coughed and let out a huge burp, almost laughing when he recoiled from her.
When she got to the table where the four men had been quietly watching Samuel, she leaned over and loudly asked. “Which one of you fine gentlemen is going to buy me a drink?”
They all stared at her, so she laid it on a little thicker. “I’m not leaving until I have a drink in my hand,” she added, batting her eyelashes at them all as she swayed on her feet.
***Colin***
“I’ll do it just to get rid of her,” Colin said, getting to his feet, grabbing Darby by the arm and dragging her over to the bar.
She pulled away from him, so he grabbed her again, leaned down, and whispered, “What are you doing?”
They’d made it to the bar, so she leaned up against it and pounded her fist on it. “I need a drink over here,” she called.
“Just a minute, lady,” the bartender called. “Can’t you see I’m busy?”
Just then, the man came out of the back room, a small bottle in his hands, and Darby’s eyes lit up. But neither of them moved. Instead, she stood swaying as if Colin’s arm was the only thing holding her up. She turned to him, and reached out, patted his chest. “You’re a nice man to help me,” she said, very loudly. Then in a whisper, “He’s going to let the demon lose tonight.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” he said, trying not to react to her words. “Maybe I could help you back to your table, and I’ll bring your drink to you when it’s ready.”
“I think that’s a good idea; the floor here isn’t very level,” she said, then snorted and laughed at the same time.
Just as they turned to head back to the table, the man handed Samuel the bottle, and Colin knew that their time was running out. He felt Darby’s body tense when she saw it, and she glanced up at him quickly. It didn’t take a genius to know what she was thinking, and he wanted tell her that it was a bad idea. But they’d reached the table, and Colin knew that there was nothing he could do to stop her.
She swayed on her feet, looked up at him, and said, “I think I need to sit down.”
Then she plopped down right in Samuel’s lap, swept the bottle off the table, and hid it under her cloak. Colin nearly bur
st into laughter when he saw Samuel’s face, but he quickly pulled Darby off his lap. “Oh, my, I’m so sorry, sir,” he said, backing away with Darby in tow. “I’ll get her out of here right now. So sorry.”
They were almost to the door when Samuel yelled, “Stop,” then snapped his fingers at the men lounging around the bar.
Colin tried to push Darby out the door, but the men were on them before he could. One grabbed him, the other grabbed Darby, and he could hear Samuel laughing as a fist connected with his face. When his vision finally cleared, the man had Darby by the hair and was digging around under her cloak.
“Leave me alone,” she screamed, fighting to get free.
“Shut up or I’ll let Bruce there take you into the back room,” Samuel said, crossing the room and slapping her across the face.
The sight of a red handprint on Darby’s cheek nearly sent him into an angry rage, but Samuel turned to him and said, “Don’t even think about it or I will let Bruce have her.”
Colin froze, then looked over at Jamison, Reese, and Keaton, but Samuel laughed. “Don’t even think about it. Do you really think those disguises work?” he asked. “Give me the bottle, and I’ll think about letting you have a head start.”
Darby looked over at him, then brought the bottle out from under her cloak, then to his horror she lifted it into the air, and began to recite a spell. The room began to grow even darker, but soon the bottle began to glow, and a white mist appeared. It swirled around in the bottle faster and faster as she said the same words over and over.
“What are you doing?” Samuel screamed. “That’s my demon; give it to me.”
“I told you she couldn’t be trusted,” Jamison screamed from across the room.
Colin took a few steps toward her, but she didn’t see him; her entire focus was on the bottle. When the cork in the top blew off and the mist began to come streaming out of the bottle, she threw it to the ground, shattering the glass into tiny pieces. The mist slowly filled the room, and he started for Darby, but an unseen force held him back.
The Fae Prince: (Fae of Ballantine) Page 12