“Even after her spat with her brother?”
Martha shuddered and I held her closer.
“No, you’re right,” she suddenly sounded very worried, “Oh, I hope she’s all right. She’s such a wonderful person. I would’ve loved for her to be a part of our coalition.”
“Gabriella will find her,” I whispered reassuringly, “They used to work together. If anyone can find her, it will be Gabriella.”
She nodded and tucked herself against my chest, looking at the sky. A drop of water fell on the railing. And then another on my head. Martha looked at her shoulder, seeing a damp spot on her dress. She smiled and flicked her hand, shooting purple and golden magic around us to create a transparent dome. Little spark of magic glittered like diamonds with each drop that hit its surface, but we were dry.
“Hmm, it’s just a drizzle,” Martha said disappointedly, “I’ve grown to like storms.”
“Storms are bad for the economy,” I disagreed, “About a century ago, a terrible one wiped out all our year’s harvest.”
“And then what came after?” she prodded sleepily. My eyes travelled the expanse of my kingdom and towards the forest.
“Then came the trees,” I sighed, “I’d never seen them so colourful in my life.”
“New beginnings,” she sighed into my chest, “That’s why I like storms, Darragh. It’s the new beginnings.”
I chuckled, understanding how she was connecting it to our experiences. Very poetic.
I turned to kiss her forehead.
“The storms have usually been over our heads for the most part,” I said, “Would be nice to catch a break.”
“Perhaps it’s time for us to take it,” she suggested, “to a particular someone…”
I looked at her, “You want to launch the first attack?”
“What good has civility ever done anyone in the face of evil?” she asked in all seriousness. And she was right. If my father had nipped Polius in the bud before he indulged in the demon’s contract for dark magic, we would not be here. I also waited for Sylius to attack us first when he finally took to the throne. By the time he started the war, too much damage had already been done behind the scenes.
“I see what you mean,” I nodded and rubbed her arm, “We’ll start planning in three days and come up with something in a week. It’s time to end Sylius once and for all.”
* * *
3 days later
The air was sombre with the Royals sitting around the battle table in deep thought, occasionally moving the checkers and simulating attack tactics.
Lindsor was constantly greeted by one crow after the other with scrolls, revealing the Unseelie army’s positions and conditions. With each message, we would completely change the dynamics.
“Selene, are you sure you want to be here?” Queen Lynn asked carefully, “You’ll be facing Sylius head on with Darragh. We can handle the frontier and mid-range combat.”
“I want to be aware of the plans, just in case,” she replied kindly, “I’m just looking at counter measures and calculating time-frames for certain scenarios should they pull back.
“This isn’t a difficult war,” Aelius tapped the board, “but knowing the witches are still aiding the Unseelie in combat, well…”
“You’ll need protection at the borders of the Unseelie Court’s realm,” Caspian pitched in, “They’re known for ransom tactics.”
“Should we have spies in the Witch’s Courts as well in the meantime?” I asked and looked over at Gabriella who was being guided on what territories to avoid in her search for Aria until the war was over. Martha nudged me with a nod, and we walked over to her.
“How is it going so far?” I asked.
“I understand I need to steer clear of the witches but…” Gabriella sighed, “I don’t know why I have a strong feeling that maybe Aria is within them. I need to be in their range. I’ve been putting the clues together and it kind of confirms some of my suspicions.”
“I think we would’ve known,” Vladimir said gently, “My spies would have told me.”
“No,” I thought aloud, “Martha, remember when I was kidnapped? I was someplace different and not everyone could access my cell. These are witches we’re talking about and Aria is still Sylius’s sister. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have her locked up somewhere to hold it over Sylius’s head in maintaining the alliance.”
“That makes a lot of sense, actually,” Martha sighed, “Sylius does cherish his sister even if he’s a horrid person.”
“I need spies, King Darragh,” Gabriella said, “Are the team mates we chose up to that task?”
“They were selected on an all-rounder basis,” I assured her, “They’re effective in every department we have to offer.”
“If that’s the case then there isn’t much I should be worrying about,” she said, “I must head out immediately.”
“You’ll need to do some extra spy work, if that’s all right?” I asked her, “We need to know what they’re planning in terms of war. You can delegate that task to other members of the team.”
“We can make it work,” Gabriella nodded, “Thank you for trusting me with this, King Darragh. The team and I leave tonight.”
Martha stepped forward and held Gabriella. The two hugged, lingering onto each other. It was possible this might be the last time they saw each other in a very long time. Gabriella pulled away and gave us a determined smile, turning around to walk out of the room.
“Well then,” I coughed, “that’s settled. Now, are you ready for your armour?”
“I get an armour?” she gasped?
Three days later, Martha was being fitted into her armour made of gold and blessed by the druids for reinforcement. Strangely enough, it was the same druid who had rescued us back when we fell into Lynn’s Court. She’d only appeared for a moment when the armour was ready, uncalled and unannounced when the sun was setting the day before.
I was beside her, watching as the staff geared me up in my father’s old armour. My eyes stayed on Martha, though. She looked absolute regal and stunning, like she was made for battle. It was in her blood after all, being the heir of the Unseelie Court. I used to have my doubt about Martha when I first found out, wondering how she would ever handle the news and carry on the responsibility. But she proved my worries wrong. I knew I would never doubt her integrity ever again.
The staff left, and we were left standing in our quarters as the sun started to sink into the horizon. We would break into his Court and attack at nightfall. It was possible that he would run and hide if he knew of the situation, which is why only the most trusted of the Realm Royals’ members were involved in the mission.
I approached Martha and took her hands, squeezing them gently. She looked at me, somewhat frightened.
“I’ll be with you,” I explained, “You have the power to take his magic away from him.”
“You do, too,” she insisted.
“But you’re the heir,” I reminded her, “This is your battle and your right. Also, I’m not as powerful as you are. I’ll neve be able to break through Syluis’s magic, but you already have once before. You’re immune to his powers.”
“That is true,” she agreed with a sigh. I lifted her chin to look into her eyes, bright and brimming with hope. Leaning in, I kissed her softly. Her hands reached up to hold my face as her lips moved against mine languidly.
She sighed into my mouth and I could taste the sweet strawberries she had snacked on before the fitting. “I love you,” she whispered. I gathered her into my arms, holding her face to kiss her deeper. She moaned into my mouth softly, sending a jolt through my heart. We had made love last night, and I hated to think that it could have been the last time.
We pulled away, gazing into each other’s eyes. I memorised her face, her endless eyes, and the small splash of freckles on her nose. Her plump, soft lips. The curves of her body. How much I had missed her, and I missed her more already even though she was in my arms.
“King Darragh,” Queen Lynn called, “It’s time to act.”
“Let’s go,” Martha whispered, and led me out by the hand.
I hoped she would never let go.
Chapter Eighteen
Darkness
Martha
* * *
We were on our way to the edge of the edge of a beach, as far away from the palace as possible. It was possible for any intruders and spies lurking to sense the portal from the palace when we left. We disguised ourselves and left from an underground tunnel and through the back, where a carriage awaited us to drive us far away. Oran and Marianne were with us in full silver armour.
We all held each other’s hands for comfort. Marianne was whispering prayers under her breath while Oran chanted every protective spell he knew to put over us.
“Save your energy, Oran,” Darragh said gruffly.
“I’ll be fine,” he muttered, “You two absolutely need to come back alive.”
“Do not forget that Sylius still has two of the amulets,” Marianne reminded us, “You need to get those back. He may not have the third one, but he’s still powerful with the two of them.”
“I can’t believe I had forgotten about those…” I whispered under my breath, “He’d definitely be wearing them to protect himself.”
“Stay on your guard,” Oran said as the carriage jolted to a halt. I could smell the salt in the air. We hopped off and he got to work immediately, taking in a deep breath and chanting. Light started gathering around us, and the wind picked up against an already dreary sky. The ocean waves crashed against the shore, spraying us. I could feel soothing energy from the droplets, as if the water was telling us not to worry.
I breathed deeply and held Darragh’s hand as the portal opened up.
“We will land on the entrance of the palace,” Oran advised, “I don’t have the kind of power to break through the other barriers that defends the palace’s interior. You guys will go inside and we will take care of the rest.”
“Martha, are you ready?”
I closed my eyes and sifted through my memory for his essence.
“Got it,” I said, feeling his energy pulsating through me, “Finding him won’t be difficult at all.”
“Let’s go,” Marianne said, and we jumped through. I prepared myself for another flashback. Soon enough, I did open my eyes to one. Although…
“This isn’t a memory…” I gasped to myself. Before me stood the familiar presence of the demon I had seen in the flashback six months ago, but it was not as terrifying as it felt back then. We were surrounded by light. Bright, white light. Its horns pulsated against the pure energy around us.
It was facing me, standing upright with its protruding belly. Tall, strong, and dominating, but not frightening.
“You’re particularly calm,” it said, curiously looking at me with its black beady eyes set into its bare face, skin still sagging in folds. Goodness, it was grotesque.
“I’m not sure why, but I am,” I admitted.
“Ahh,” it nodded, “that must mean you’ve seen my face before, haven’t you? People get used to it somehow after a while.”
I kept my eyes trained on its face, wondering what it wanted. I couldn’t look away in fear of being damned to the underworld with it, although we had not even begun to make a contract.
“You wish to ask me something?”
“Why are you hear?” I thought aloud.
“You and I both want the same thing,” it said, “Sylius’s demise. My time is running short and I’m in need of an heir. The sooner Sylius is gone, the better. I’m here to help you.”
“W-what…” I scoffed, “But…you have a contract with his bloodline. Why do you need my help?”
“Because his father cheated his way out,” it sighed, “He found a way to…delay his death. It was very unfortunate for me seeing as how I really needed his soul and vessel when the time came. The man was selfish and cruel, and made a pact with the witches to bury him in a time-freeze pocket realm. By default, the responsibility of completing the contract now falls on Sylius.”
“You want me kill him?” I gasped.
“Unless you want more pain and hardships in the future for all the realms, then yes,” it cocked its head nonchalantly, “I saw the future, Princess Selene. A world with him in it will burn to the ground.”
I could not do that…not to Aria. Gabriella told me how she wanted me to save him. I could just take his magic away. There needed to be another way around this to save him. Sylius had hurt many people, but he wasn’t evil by choice!
“How does it sound, Princess Selene?” it said, circling me, “His soul and body in exchange for eternal peace across the realms. All his damage undone… You know I have that power.”
It was tempting. Sylius being gone, ridding the place off of demon magic altogether, bringing back all those had died because of him…
“No,” I said, my voice going hard. I had caught onto the demon’s trick.
“No?”
“You’re trying to pull me into a contract,” I hissed, “There will always be something that will bind me to you through it. I won’t fall for your mind games, demon. I will find a way to rid Sylius and the rest of the Unseelie Court off of your magic. He will live, and everyone who has been sacrificed will be honoured!”
There was silence between us. And then…
It smiled.
“You truly are one of a kind, Princess Selene,” it walked backwards away from me, fading into the light as her voice grew farther, “Prosperity unto the Unseelie. Long live the Queen…”
* * *
I returned back to consciousness with a gasp. Darragh squeezed me hand, giving me a look of concern.
“Did you all see anything in the portal?” I asked. They shook their heads. I only nodded and looked at the daunting castle ahead of us. The Unseelie Guards started to gather at the gates, weapons poised to attack. Darragh let go of my hand and pulled out his sword. I amplified my power, letting the palms of my hands glow ready with magic. Marianne glowed green next to us, and I could already feel the healing energies passing through my body.
“I’ll handle everyone at the gate,” Oran revised, “Marianne, clear the way in the palace for them to Sylius. Darragh, you’ll protect Martha during battle.”
We nodded and Oran drew his sword. We followed behind the men as they charged, deflecting and dodging the attacks raining on us. We crossed the bridge to the gate and I let off a burst of magic that threw the guards sideways away from us, leaving them all disoriented.
“GO!” Oran yelled and hacked at the gigantic wooden door with such magical force that it sliced in half and fell away. We ran inside, running through the garden and towards the gloomy structure that Sylius called his home. Marianne ran ahead of us, glowing green and calling out to the greens in the garden for help. The vines, tree branches, and large flowers sprang to life, elongating at reckless speeds and attacking guards coming out of hidden positions to attack us.
“He was expecting us,” Darragh yelled.
“I know will guys will find him!” Marianne yelled back. Darragh charged at the palace gates and crashed into them, breaking through the doors. Marianne and I followed after and we slid to a stop. It was empty inside, which meant that his best men were situated with him wherever he was hiding. I closed my eyes and focused as Marianna fought behind us, having the plants drag the guards away and seal all and every exit shut to keep them out.
“Underground,” I whispered as I finally caught his essence. I could practically see the dark shadowy trail like a string tied to him. I just needed to follow it. “Come on.”
We ran down the corridors and turned down a maze of intersections. We we were almost caught in multiple deathly traps set by witches, but I somehow sensed all of them coming. It was possibly because I had trained in witch magic with them at one point in time. The armour helped protect us, although one trap did manage to burn my wrist slightly, but it wasn’t something Marianne could
not fix.
We finally found a flight of stairs tucked away behind what I assumed was a mirror.
“Do you guys see it?” I asked the two, “The stairway.”
“It’s just a mirror,” Darragh sounded confused. I realised it was an illusion and chanted under my breath. With magic worked well with illusions. They gasped as the path was revealed to them, but it was musty, narrow, and dark.
“I’ll go first,” Darragh grunted, but I grabbed his hand.
“We’ve been confronted by witch magic the whole time we were here,” I explained, “You could walk into more here, too.”
“Can you sense them?”
“No,” I said, feeling strange, “I would expect they would line this passageway, too.”
“They don’t do that when they need to leave for something,” Marianne explained, “This room must store necessities they couldn’t fit down there.” She reached out for a shelf encased with cloth and pulled it away. No flying dust or anything. The room was very recently used.
“See?” Marianne pointed to the bottles and jars of witch ingredients lined up neatly, “They didn’t expect us to make it this far.”
“It’s time to end this then,” Darragh growled. I let go of his hand and he went before us. We followed carefully, and goodness, it smelled terrible. I would not be surprised to stumble across dead rats and other animals over here. It looked like it had not been cleaned in years.
We followed Darragh quietly, who was being careful with each step. I knew it was futile, seeing as how strongly I was picking up the witches’ energies along with Sylius’s. I could tell the space underground was as large as the Unseelie Court’s ballroom. There were four witches with him. I could not sense anyone else.
I kept remembering the demon’s words over and over. Something told me that we only needed to take the witches out, because the demon was so sure Sylius would fail. Darragh had mentioned Sylius’s lack of combat skills a lot, and how the Dark King only knew how to hide behind people.
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