The Unfortunate Souls Collection

by Stacey Rourke

  “While the situation isn’t nearly as bleak as you make it sound, I cannot begin to describe how grateful we would be to have you as our oracle.” Liam perked at his victory, aglow with hopeful promise. I fully intended to scrub the joy from his face.

  Holding up one finger, I waved it thrice before pressing it to my lips. “That reminds me. There was one more question I had about the magic you called upon to commandeer my life. After the lovely choreography, the High Priestess made mention of a trickster being summoned along with me, that was capable of … how did she put it? Unfathomable atrocities. What was that all about?”

  King Liam paled, mouth opening and closing in search of a workable explanation. “Evelyn, I can explain. It was a necessary evil for the greater good.”

  “I need you to stop talking.” his queen snapped. Bowing her head, she dragged the back of her hand over her sweat dampened brow. Lips paling to a dusky beige, bruise like shadows sprouted under her eyes. “We will go inside, and find these gentlemen adequate accommodations for the duration of their stay. After which, I will take a brief rest and then seek you out, my husband, for a long overdue conversation.”

  Chapter Seven

  “Tell us more about Atlantica,” one of the three breathy hand-maidens, tasked with making me pass for a gentleman, requested.

  Their hands flittered all around me. Combing and pinning back my hair. Shaving my face. Fastening some sort of floppy tie around my neck. They claimed it accentuated my shirt and hand-stitched jacket. I thought it closer resembled a jellyfish attacking my throat.

  Gazing into the vanity table mirror, I leaned back in my chair and studied the pseudo-human peering back. “Humans are beautiful. Truly, you are.”

  All three of them tittered with girlish giggles, the light of their auras blooming bright carnation pink.

  “Even so, underwater,” I continued, getting lost in my own reverie, “the skin of every mer glistens in the floating diamonds of the filtered light. Hair dances and flows around every face, as if there for the sole purpose of framing the loveliness of the being it adorns.”

  Hairbrushes stilled.

  Fabric fluffing fingers paused.

  The gleam of the straight blade hovered mid-swipe.

  A chorus of dreamy sighs escaped the parted lips of each lady tending to me.

  “Touched by Mother Ocean’s artistic pallet, hair isn’t merely black. It is an inky luminescence that pays loving tribute to every color under the rainbow. Eyes aren’t simply purple. They are treasured amethysts rediscovered by the mysteries of the depths.” So lost was I in the mirage of my mind, that the image of Vanessa was conjured behind my lids. Each blink, momentarily taunted me with my soul’s desire.

  “You have the heart of a poet, sir,” the tallest of the three girls gasped, resuming her task of crisscrossing my hair into a braided rope.

  “Not to mention being dreamy,” the platinum-haired lass with the blade at my throat breathed.

  “Claudette!” the third of the trio, adjusting my tie, snapped. Her foot stomped for emphasis.

  “What?” The girl I now knew as Claudette let her shoulder rise and fall in a shrug. “There is a mirror right in front of him, Laurette. He knows what he looks like.”

  “You don’t speak of such things!” Laurette huffed, cheeks reddening.

  “No, you don’t speak of such things. I acknowledge the blatantly obvious.” Claudette winked at me in the mirror.

  “And I am sure our guest appreciates such flattery,” a crisp voice proclaimed from the doorway.

  In an instant, the trio moved shoulder to shoulder, dipping in curtsies of respect.

  “Your Highness,” they chorused in acknowledgment of their queen.

  “You may rise.” Lifting her chin in their direction, she adjusted the cooing princess balanced on her hip. That simple task seemed taxing on her waning strength, causing the infant to sink from her hold.

  Bounding from my seat, I caught the tyke under her chubby little arms. I drew her to me and cradled her against my chest. “Good evening, Princess. How fare you this night?”

  Puffing her rosy cheeks, she blew spit bubbles in response.

  “I couldn’t have said it better myself!” I chuckled, pulling my face back to avoid a flailing baby fist.

  Black ringlets haloing her porcelain face, Snow blinked up at me beneath her forest of lashes. Gracing me with a toothless grin, she mashed her fist into her mouth and gnawed on it.

  Queen Evelyn offered a tight-lipped smile to her maidens as she eased herself into the seat I vacated. “We are fine, ladies. You’re excused.”

  Bowing once more, they scurried from the room, careful not to insult their queen by turning their backs to her.

  The elegant royal waited for the door to shut behind them before fixing her steely-eyed scrutiny my way. “Out of respect for both of our time, I’m going to cut right to it. I apologize for the situation my husband has put you in. While an incredibly sweet man, he can be maddeningly stubborn.”

  “When it comes to you, it’s easy to see he acts out of love, Your Highness,” I responded. Doing my impression of a puffer fish, I earned a giggle of delight from the princess.

  “Call me Evelyn, please.”

  “As you wish, Queen Evelyn.”

  Crossing her legs at the ankle, her gaze drifted to her daughter and happily lingered there. “He loves me, and is so terrified of what’s to come that it prevents him from accepting the truth of how far my illness has progressed. You reached for the princess because you feared I would drop her. Even you, a stranger, can see I’m wilting.”

  “I did,” I admitted with a nod of regret.

  “And I thank you for that. Heaven knows those three clucking hens wouldn’t have noticed unless she hit the floor and bounced.” Seeing Snow beginning to pout, Evelyn reached for her. I stepped forward, delivering the precious cargo onto her mother’s lap. “My husband has implored every healer in the realm in search of a cure. No one has been able to identify the ailment, much less offer up a remedy. Still, Liam refuses to give up.”

  “Because he loves you,” I muttered, begrudgingly finding myself sympathetic to his plight. “Once you’ve given your soul to someone, there’s no limit to how far you will go on their behalf.”

  “Yes,” the queen stated, eyes narrowing as if seeing me for the first time, “I do believe you understand that caliber of affection. When he heard rumors of the mirror, it became a bit of an obsession for him. It always seemed a fool’s errand to me, a proverbial magic bean, he would grow tired of when he saw it for the pointless endeavor it was. Had I known he was still pursuing the notion, I would have stopped him before things escalated to this point. While his heart is in the right place, I wish he could find peace in the inevitable truth.”

  “And what’s that?” I asked, leaning one hip against the vanity table.

  Lifting her chin, the dancing light from the oil lamp cast deep shadows over Evelyn’s sunken cheeks. “That there are some elements of life we cannot change or fight.”

  With a lump of unease coiling in my gut, I ran the palm of my hand over my freshly shaved chin. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with where this conversation is headed.”

  Raising her eyebrows, the queen thrilled her daughter by adopting a high-pitched chirp. “Nor should you be. This is a very perplexing matter. Yes, it is! Yes, it is!” Beaming at Snow’s belly laugh, Evelyn eased her into the crook of her arm, and turned to face me. “I need you to promise me, no matter where this journey takes you, that you will not take any unnecessary risks. Your safety is more important than a desperate man’s quest for a miracle.”

  Crossing to her in two wide strides, I took a knee before the fading queen. “M’lady, you are as compassionate as you are lovely. I can see why he fights so ruthlessly for you. It is my honor to be chosen not only as your oracle, but your champion on this quest for answers.”

  The smile vanished from Evelyn’s face, replaced by a stern, unforgiving stare. “Th
en you aren’t listening. The only help I desire from you is a vow to look out for my daughter, husband, and kingdom after I’m gone.”

  I opened my mouth to argue, only to be hushed by her finger to my lips. “Go on this journey. Use it to search for your path home. But, please, don’t allow yourself to be saddled with the burden of my affliction.”

  Before I could formulate an argument, Queen Evelyn hoisted Snow onto her hip and swept from the room without another word.

  Chapter Eight

  Glasses clinked. Cutlery scraped over plates. Decadent food was wheeled out by the cartful. The dining table stretched the length of the expansive hall, decorated with gold and silver finery. A candle chandelier, dripping with diamonds, hung overhead, warming those below with its golden shimmer.

  Clothing and costuming options were limited under the sea. I mean, there’s only so much you can do with seaweed, squid ink, and pearls. Here, the regalia of each person was surpassed by the next. Before entering the dinner thrown in my honor, I thought my silken coat—the shade of soft sand and trimmed with navy embroidery—to be a fetching one. In that ostentatious crowd it seemed dull by comparison.

  At the head of the table, King Liam swigged from his goblet of wine and mulled over his plans with the trusted members of his court ... along with Sterling and me. “Our research has shown the mirror’s last known whereabouts to be a pirate refuge known as Marooner’s Rock. While we have a map, scouts and travelers claim it to be a fake, as they have never encountered any of the landmarks at the labeled coordinates during their travels.”

  “Mmmmmm,” Sterling interrupted. Soaking up the decadent gravy on his plate with what was left of his bread, he popped it in his mouth and slurped the remnants from each fingertip before he innocently inquired, “I’m terribly sorry, I forgot to ask this earlier, but … are you a moron?”

  Queen Evelyn nearly choked on her potatoes, covering her mouth before she sprayed them across the table.

  Clamping his lips together, Liam blinked in Sterling’s direction as if considering whether to listen, or have him killed. “You had something to add, young man?”

  “You seek something but know not where. Reflections of truth from a magic mirror.” Gazing at the king from under his brow, a sinister twinkle set his lustrous jade stare aglow. “No voyage is ever simple. No departure promises a return. The answer you seek is a prize you must earn.”

  The king kept his composure, searching the faces of his guests for tips on how he should respond. After a long pause, he settled on the diplomatic approach. “Do you have some guidance or truth to offer that could help us understand this perplexing situation?”

  “You think the truth will be easier to understand?” Sterling pondered, clucking his tongue. “What a rudimentary life you must lead.”

  Clamping his hand over his mouth, Liam beseeched his queen with a look that clearly stated I’m out of ideas, you try.

  “You know of the truth? Tell me.” Sass wafting from her crowned head, to her bejeweled toes, Evelyn sipped from her glass.

  “Your wise and wondrous oracle could scour this entire realm for Marooner’s Rock until the very end of his days, and he’ll never find it,” Sterling stated, shooting me an apologetic grimace.

  Stomach churning at the fish on my plate, I managed to toss back an indifferent shrug.

  After dabbing her lips with her napkin, Queen Evelyn gently laid it onto the linen table cloth. “And why is that?’

  “Well, I used to think he was like me. Then, I spent time with him. Now he seems more swiggity swooty. Whereas I lean toward the hannie lannie.” As he spoke each nonsensical term, Sterling shifted from pantomiming a puffed-chest warrior march, to a hands-behind-the-head lounge. “You know what I mean?”

  One forearm propped on the table, King Liam shook his head and marveled, “Not one damned time since you arrived.”

  Sterling kept on as if he hadn’t heard him or didn’t care. “That world, and this one, are not unlike mighty oaks that have grown side by side from saplings: stretching longer and wider with each passing year, yet never intercepting.”

  “And you can make them cross?” Evelyn asked, her timbre a melodic bird song.

  “Time and space are not palpable clay that can be molded or shaped.” Holding one hand before him, Sterling rolled his wrist one way and then the other, his fingers fanning with each fluid motion. “It’s more like a river bend; ever changing, ever flowing.”

  “Yet you know how to travel this mysterious route?” The king forced a polite smile until it was well hidden behind his goblet.

  Head listing, Sterling’s eyes shimmied side to side. “Show me the map. For I can feel the drumming current of palpable time.”

  Dabbing the corners of his mouth with his napkin, the king shoved his chair back from the table. “The promise of things to come seems to have spoiled my appetite from this expertly prepared grouper. The map is in my study. Let us see if we can scrounge up a bit of information before the next course.”

  Wiping his face on his sleeve, Sterling pushed his seat back with an ear-piercing screech. “As you wish, my liege. I ask only that we be back before dessert. I feel a tantrum brewing if I miss it.”

  “A more than fair proposition.” With a nod to his trusted men, Liam led the band from the dining room.

  Only Queen Evelyn and myself remained at the elaborate spread.

  Delicately wiping her lips, Evelyn’s posture drooped. “If we are past the point of pretenses, I’ll scoot off to bed. Forcing a fake smile is far more exhausting than it appears.” With a polite nod in my direction, the withering-rose queen excused herself.

  As I watched her disappear down the hall, a ghostly voice whispered against my ear, “He saw her in every woman. The whispered caress of hair brushing a shoulder blade. The soft curve of an elegant neck. Even in her absence, she haunted him.” A swirl of brimstone smoke and Hades appeared in King Liam’s seat. “Hey ya, kid. You haven’t forgotten about your mermaid honey already, have you? Saw a pretty human and went all moon-eyed? I didn’t peg you to be the easily swayed type.”

  “Don’t presume you know anything about me,” I snarled, fingers curling around the hem of the linen table cloth to prevent me from lunging at the demi-god.

  “Oh, I’m sure you’re a completely unique mystery.” Snagging a grape from the bowl in front of him, Hades popped it in his mouth and talked around each chomp. “You definitely aren’t enduring this gathering by holding on to the unrealistic hope that she will somehow appear. For only your darling Vanessa can brighten a room, and chase away the dark shadows of your heart with her beatific glow. Or that one stolen glance from her could soften the blow of being torn from the only home you’ve ever known. No, you’re right. I know nothing about you.”

  “Why are you here, Hades?” Somehow my butter knife found its way into my white-knuckled grip. The idea of embedding it in his trachea was an intoxicating notion.

  “I’m not really here. Only you can see me. Your imagination conjured me out of looming regret over your life choices.” Leering at a sinewy blonde handmaid that scurried in to clear the table, Hades shot her a wink. “Hello, my dear. Ever had a little evil in ya? Do you want to?”

  “You’re vile and smell of rotten eggs,” the girl shot back, stalking off with an armload of plates.

  Forcing myself to release the polished utensil, I shoved my chair back from the table. “Does any amount of truth ever pass your lips?”

  Hades’ mouth screwed to the side. “How would I know? I can’t be expected to pay attention to everything I say.”

  As an angry red haze tinged the edges of my vision, I ground my teeth to the point of pain. “What do you want, Hades?”

  Leaning in, the Lord of the Underworld rested his arms on the edge of the mahogany table. “I’m here to finish what the High Priestess started, and make you the augur we need you to be. I’m afraid my method won’t be nearly as delicate and lovely as hers.” The crystal around his neck pulsating a de
ep cobalt, Hades’ voice dropped to a demanding hiss. “Videtis et nostis.”

  The mysterious words snagged me like a powerful undertow, dragging me to the depths with their hypnotic pull. Clanging sirens resonated through my mind. One heavy-lidded blink and reality melted away. My eyes opened to a world of blood. Its coppery scent permeated the air, choking down my throat. The hammer of thousands of screams drove nails of anguish into my skull.

  A bruised and beaten version of Sterling’s face swam before me. Bubbling laughter, closer resembling a sob, shook his shoulders. A reptilian talon held him by the throat. One long claw fish-hooked the corner of his mouth.

  Sterling begged.

  Pleaded.

  Screamed out for mercy as his captor applied steady, unrelenting pressure.

  Tissue tore in a series of sickening pops. Gore painted Sterling’s neck in torrents.

  His scars. This was how he acquired them.

  As his eyes rolled back, the world around me spun in a dizzying blur once more.

  Queen Evelyn moved on unsteady legs through the square. Catching herself with one hand on the stone wall, she stared down the alley beside her, terror widening her eyes.

  A white-hot jolt of pain, then …

  Porcelain perfection streaked with blood.

  Lips frozen in a silent scream.

  Lifeless grey eyes stared daggers of accusation.

  Legs crumbling, a terrified howl tore from my chest. The last thing I heard before sinking into the welcome abyss of unconsciousness was Hades’ paltry apology. “I am truly sorry, boy. But, you’re ready now.”

  Chapter Nine

  The moment I came to, I bolted from the castle. Pounding through the square, my feet burned from the ill-fitting shoes that had been forced upon me. Jostled through the crowd, each body I slammed into pierced me with yet another jarring vision. Warning chimes ravaged my brain, threatening to split my skull from the inside out. Sight blurring, I held one arm out in front of me as I forced my way toward the gate.