“Exactly!” I shouted, all of a sudden an idea sprung to mind. Gabriella and the wolves looked at me funny. “I’m going to bring her here, to the place that she knows and I’ll make her fall in love with me all over again.”
Now I had a glimmer of hope. This was a good plan.
“Here? And what about Sylius and your brothers? Do you think he won’t look for her here?” Gabriella asked.
“Possibly, but the Dark Prince is too proud to cross over to the human world. Besides we can always distract them. I can keep them both occupied whilst I deal with returning Martha’s memories,” I said, thinking that this was a perfect opportunity for me to get back my good reputation. My Fae still trusted me. Urlich couldn’t beat me. “We are listening Darragh,” Gabriella coaxed, so I started sharing my plan with them.
Chapter Five
The deer
Darragh
* * *
Two days had passed since we ended up back in Farrington. By the time the sun started rising on the second day all my wounds were fully healed and I felt more like myself again.
I had shared my plan with Oran and Marianne. We talked it over during one evening, but Oran was concerned that I wouldn’t succeed on my own but I didn’t want to put them at risk any more than they already were. Oran wouldn’t hear of it though, he wanted to be involved.
The very next day I began to put my plans into motion. We had to create a convincing situation. Oran helped me to prepare the parchment and then ultimately the letter that would set our carefully crafted series of events into motion. I thought that I was smart enough to beat the witches at their own game. Deepika was dead but we could still use her as leverage.
The witches wanted to see both courts at war. They harvested the blood of the Fae that died on the battlefield. It was in their favour to see how the Seelie Court went through the period of political instability. After I learned more about the witches, I realised that they were doing everything that they could to influence humans and the Fae alike. They were using us for their own personal gain. Oran and I prepared a letter in which Deepika the witch that had been hiding in the Unseelie Court was informing the head of the witch coven of her progress.
Sylius had given Deepika protection within his own court. He probably knew that she was dead by now, but he had never found out that Deepika was placed there in order to spy on him. In the letter she talked about the upcoming war between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts and about the fact that some other Fae had learnt that Princess Selene was alive and well. Deepika admitted that the witches were the ones that had swapped the child right before Poliusz barged inside the palace. Sylius was also going to find out that my father was involved too. The letter mocked both Sylius and Urlich’s intelligence.
I wanted to expose the witches agenda, but first I had to deliver it straight to the Dark Prince’s hands. Recently Urlich had been forced to sign some kind of agreement with the Unseelie Court, which he did right after he imprisoned me. He wanted to defeat Sylius, but the elders had been pressuring him to hold the ceasefire. No one was prepared to sacrifice any more Fae.
The letter was addressed to Ursula–the head of the coven. Oran used his skills to make it look like it was Deepika’s work. The witches used specific magic and potions.
It was a perfect distraction and I could already picture Sylius’s face when he read it. He had only risen into that position because the witches needed him there. Gabriella had explained everything and I slowly began to realise that over the years even I had been unwittingly influenced by them. It was finally time to expose them for what they were.
Everyone agreed that it was a good plan if executed well. We needed a distraction, something that would keep Urlich and Sylius occupied whilst I took care of Martha. My Queen needed to be reminded that there were people that cared about her. Farrington was protected but I also knew that I would have to keep her there against her will.
After two days, Oran was strong enough to open the portal to the Unseelie Court and Gabriella’s wound was healing quickly too.
“Sylius ordered the wards to be reinforced after I went there the first time,” I pointed out, remembering the time when I crossed over to find Deepika.
“That’s why this is much more complicated this time around. We need to cross over to the other side undetected. You will only have one chance to take Martha and get back to the portal. We won’t have a second chance,” Oran stated.
I knew that he had given this a lot of careful thought and he was always much wiser than me.
Marianne was preparing plenty of potions to take with us. Sylius was going to be furious once he learned the truth about Martha. She was actually the threat to his title, so he would be protecting her even more, that’s why I had to hurry. I knew him so well but I still didn’t know how to best convince her to return with me.
“She doesn’t trust me and I don’t want to force her to come with me. I need to come up with a better idea,” I muttered, feeling nervous. Gabriella wasn’t saying much, she had agreed to help but I knew that she thought that bringing Martha back to Farrington wasn’t the best plan.
Maybe she was right, but I believed that Martha could only remember her past once she was brought back to the familiar place she had happily lived in for so many years.
When the sun had hidden itself below the horizon, Oran handed me the letter and I quickly drank the potion that Marianne had prepared earlier on. I hoped it was the final time I would have to change myself into a Fae from the Unseelie Court. By this point Sylius most likely knew that I had escaped from my brother’s prison. I imagined that he probably expected to see me there at some point.
Gabriella, along with Marianna and Oran were supposed to take care of the Fae that would track us down somehow. I needed to get there without anyone knowing about it and that was going to be difficult. I was anxious about what might happen on the other side.
Oran wanted to create a magical storm to keep the enemy distracted whilst I entered the Unseelie Court. William had offered to keep any Fae away from Farrington Kingdom once I brought Martha back here. Sylius was a coward. He would never cross over here but he would likely send some of his Fae followers. I wasn’t going to worry about this now.
The spell was complex, but it was necessary. Too many Fae knew who I was, especially in the Unseelie Court.
“This is the dust, use it to open the portal back to Farrington once you have Martha. No one will be able to follow you back and it’s only one way,” Oran insisted handing me the sack filled with magic.
I took it, thinking that it was a lot of dust. I didn’t want to ask him where he’d got it from. Oran always had his ways to get his hands on advanced magic or even rare items that weren’t widely available.
I couldn’t wait to see Martha.
“I’m lucky to have you as a friend and companion,” I told him. Gabriella cleared her throat and Oran looked emotional. We had been friends for a long time.
“You need to leave as soon as possible. We haven’t got time for a small talk. This has to work,” Gabriella said.
“Darragh you’re always going to be the rightful Fae King of the Seelie Court,” Oran told me before he stepped forward and stared using his magic to create a portal. He was the only one that could do this.
Sylius had used witches magic to make sure no one could enter his court after he took the title of the Dark Prince.
We all stood at the edge of the forest. In the distance I could see King Caspian’s castle. The air was still vibrating with our magical current. I felt Martha’s lips on mine and could see as wind ruffle her red hair in my minds eye. Oran concentrated, a bead of sweat started rolling down his cheek. He, Marianne and Gabriella were supposed to cross over first, allowing me to do what was necessary and search for Martha.
“Darragh. You will be on your own over there,” Gabriella said.
I realised that no one would be able to come to my aid if anything happened, so this had to work exactly as we had pla
nned it to.
Sylius was ready to hang me. He would eliminate me instantly by any means necessary. Oran had his eyes closed and he was still using his energy to make a connection with the portal. Soon enough, the air in front of us started vibrating. Oran’s cheeks were flushed and he was breathing hard. He had incredible magical skills. That kind of spell was very draining though.
Moments later I watched them crossing the portal on the other side. Five minutes later I followed, hoping that everything had gone well and I was somewhere near the court.
My blood pressure spiked and I nearly tripped as the energy pushed me forward. The dark energy was strong, drifting around me as I looked at my surroundings, trying to figure out where I was.
I instantly sensed a lot of Fae from the opposite court nearby. I wished I could see what was going on with the rest of the team. They were probably facing Sylius’s Fae already.
It looked like everything had gone well. I was definitely in the Unseelie Court and the portal started to disappear shortly afterwards.
“Who are you?” I heard a small voice say and then I looked down. There was a little child Fae puling on my coat and staring up at me in the darkness. The boy looked a little startled when he noticed my eyes.
“Hey, what are you doing in here little one? Where are your parents?” I asked, but my voice was horse. The boy smiled and then tilted his head to the side with pure curiosity.
“I’m Thomas and sometimes I wander off into the forest on my own. Why are you here and why does your magic feels so strange?” the boy was asking me. Even the little one could sense that I wasn’t from here.
I needed to disappear in case his parents were nearby, but then something else came to my mind.
I reached into my side pocket and took out the letter that Oran had written on the special parchment and I handed it to the little boy.
“My magic is strange because I’m not from around here Thomas,” I said. “But I do have a favour to ask. Can you take this letter, keep it safe and tomorrow morning when you wake up, tell your parents that you must deliver it to the Dark Prince.”
This was a perfect opportunity to make sure that Sylius received our letter. The little Fae boy widened his eyes, staring at the letter like it was the most important possession he’d ever held. He was eager to do what I asked.
“Are you sure that I can trust you with such an important task?“
“Of course. I’m very resourceful, I’ll take care of it,” the little Fae assured me, staring at the letter. I had to take the risk. I wasn’t entirely convinced that this was a good idea, but if it worked, then no one would suspect that I had anything to do with it. Sylius would believe that the witches had used him.
“All right, I need to disappear, but maybe we can meet again soon little Fae,” I said, and then vanished into the bushes.
I still had to figure out where Sylius was keeping Martha. I knew that it was going to be difficult for me to get her out.
Oran, Marianne and Gabriella were somewhere closeby and I hoped they would be able to escape if needed. I didn’t want to even contemplate that anything would go wrong.
The forest was filled with many Fae soldiers. I took out the masking spell potion that Marianne had prepared for me and drunk it. The liquid nearly burned my throat and I staggered on my feet.
A few moments later I felt like myself again. The world around me stopped spinning. I took out a small mirror to make sure that the spell worked.
The spell had turned me into a blonde Fae with the surrounding darkness that was specific to this rival court. My clothes were filthy, so that could slightly complicate things.
I heard a scream, loud and terrifying that echoed through the forest. A few birds flew off the trees in fright. The pounding of unexpected energy shifted right through me. It sounded like someone was in serious trouble, so I jumped out of the bushes, seeing a female Fae being pinned down on the ground by a large wolf–shifter?
The wolf’s mouth was close to her neck, the Fae was trying to hold it off with her magic, but the energy wasn’t strong enough to hold it for long.
I decided to do the right and honourable thing. I jumped out of the bushes and headed straight for the wolf. The problem was that the shifter had noticed me before I realised that the potion had taken away my magic. I was pretty much defenseless now.
Chapter Six
Martha
Darragh
* * *
I was facing a massive wolf shifter that had directed its entire attention towards me. This wasn’t good. My energy had failed me. The spell was blocking my magic. A few harmless sparks escaped from my fingertips.
I should have remembered that the spell would make me weak for several hours.
Split seconds later the creature pounced right at me. I did the only thing that I could think of – I ran.
The wolf shifter was right behind me and I was running as fast as I could. I jumped into the bushes and quickly took out my knife that Gabriella had given me right before I crossed through the portal. She said that I might need it and she was absolutely right.
My breathing was rapid and shallow, somehow I seemed to have lost the large beast because I couldn’t sense him anymore. I emerged from the bushes and started walking, soon I entered an open meadow right next to the forest and I inhaled the sweet smelling flowers. I was hoping to see some Fae soldiers but this whole meadow seemed completely deserted.
Then I heard a snarling on my right and turned my head slightly. My heart sank into my stomach. The wolf shifter had managed to tracked me down and now it was right in front of me, bending his paws and arching his back. Saliva was dripping down fromhis mouth.
I didn’t even have a chance to think about my options when the beast attacked, jumping right at me. As a last ditch attempt, I dived to the side and rolled on the ground. My energy was gone and the moment the beast latched onto me I knew that I was a dead Fae. I plunged the knife in wolf’s huge stomach as its sharp teeth were just about to pierce my skin and rip my throat to pieces. The creature howled with pain, then went still as I held his throat. The adrenaline was coursing through me. For a long moment I just watched it sliding down to the ground. Whatever the potion was that had coated the knife had worked a treat.
The sweat dripped down my neck as I twisted the knife a few times, trying to squeeze out from underneath the wolf. He was a dead weight. The smell was horrendous too. Moments later, the wolf started to change back into its human form. Several Fae appeared out of nowhere and quickly surrounded me.
I was breathing hard and covered with blood from head to toe.
“My dear lord, where did this shifter come from? Sylius is going to be furious,” the female Fae spoke first, staring down at the now human corpse, before glancing over at me. I knew who she was. I recognised her instantly. Two more male Fae appeared beside her, looking at me with suspicion. It was Sylius’s sister Aria. She had several scratches on her face, so the werewolf had obviously got to her too. “ I must thank you strange Fae, for killing this creature. Please tell me, who are you?”
My throat was dry because I hadn’t thought up a reason for being here. Most Fae within the Unseelie Court had darker skin and their auras were unique.
Aria was beautiful, but she didn’t have typical Fae features, her eyes looked almost human. Her hair was light brown and she only had slightly pointed ears.
“I’m returning from Lyn’s Court my lady. I have an important meeting with the leader there. My name is Cornelius,” I introduced myself, feeling my own energy slowly coming back to me.
Aria’s eyes were kind and she was wearing a green dress that exposed her curves. I had heard from many that she was the complete opposite of her brother. She never got involved in politics and never cared about her position within the court.
She smiled at me as she approached. The Fae that stood behind her lowered their arrows.
“Where were the two of you when the lady needed assistance? That shifter could have kille
d her?” I shouted, tensing my shoulders.
“Oh don’t mind them. It’s my fault. I walked away without telling them, looking for wild herbs. The shifter came out of nowhere. I believe that the creature must have crossed from another realm. My brother will think that it was sent here to get rid of me,” Aria said, placing her hands on her hips. Her eyes moved down my body. I figured that she was intrigued by me.
Maybe she could lead me straight to Martha.
“Good thing I was in the area then, my lady,” I muttered, thinking about that letter. I hoped that little Thomas would deliver it to Sylius.
I had a feeling that Sylius was keeping a close eye on Martha. She probably had guards around her 24/7. Somehow I had to get her away from them but first of all, I had to locate her.
“I’m glad about that too Cornelius. I think you should return with me to the court. Are you planning to see my brother?” Aria asked. Her magic was so different, almost exotic. The usual darkness was missing.
“I don’t answer to him directly my lady but I shall return to the palace with you to ensure your safety. Is it really true that the Dark Prince is engaged to a changeling?” I asked, through the gritted teeth. Sylius was taking full advantage of her. I shouldn’t have been so emotional about this. Before she met me, Martha was a lady of pleasure. She shared her bed with other men, many of them but it bothered me most that she was with him–the Fae that had used demonic magic to get to where he was now.
Aria frowned and then tossed her hair behind her. She seemed annoyed with that news.
“Yes, apparently my brother is in love but I don’t like how he treats the poor changeling. I’m sure he trapped her into that mating arrangement. You see, she doesn’t remember her past,” Aria added and I was shocked that she was so forthright with her opinion on the matter.
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