The Dark King

by C. J. Abedi

  “Go ahead,” he said. “Bring your dark death on my poor, pathetic human body. I will just die without it.”

  I picked him up off the ground angrily. He knew I could not hurt him. By taking over Copeland’s body, he had protected himself from my wrath.

  “Where is Copeland?”

  “Sleeping. In a coma. Out to lunch. Whatever you’d like to call it,” Puck said dramatically as he waved his hand in the air.

  I shook him hard.

  “Where is my father?”

  “Now, dear boy, what makes you believe we are such confidantes? That type of information, so precious and valuable, I will never tell you.” Puck laughed in delight. “I must say, this human body does not do my glory justice. I would have preferred to take one more like that lovable friend of Caroline’s. Teddy, is it?”

  I slammed his body into one of the wooden poles.

  “Teddy is just so deliciously young and lithe,” Puck grunted. “So much more potential there than in this old bag of bones.”

  “I will destroy you!” I shouted as I shook Mr. Copeland’s body.

  “You will not.” He raised a brow. “Don’t be so silly. I am Puck. The infamous. The only Fae with no equal in wit or in malice. I can incite a crowd with a single word. You are no match for me! You will never beat me, you foolish, foolish boy.”

  I could feel the dark race through my veins.

  “There is only one way this will end. And that is in the death of your precious Caroline. Either in the future or now.” Puck smirked. “You know it as well as I. There is no other way.”

  My eyes began to change color as the black light grew inside me.

  Puck began to laugh maniacally.

  “Oh yes, unleash your darkness, Devilyn. Destroy this poor, pathetic man. Free him from his misery.”

  “Devilyn?!” I heard Caroline shout in fear and knew instantly that Puck had outwitted me again.

  I dropped his body in a second and grabbed hold of the zip line.

  “Leaving so soon? But the fun was just getting started.” He laughed as he stumbled to his feet, his human body not making it easy for him.

  I was off in a second, sliding up and out toward Caroline, holding on to the pulley with my bare hands. I reached her within seconds.

  “Something or someone is calling out to me, Devilyn,” she said as calmly as she could. Her face was ghost-white and I knew she was beyond terrified as she looked around at the sky that had gone from daylight to darkness in a matter of minutes.

  “It is magik, Caroline,” I told her. “It is just dark, evil magik. I won’t let anything ever hurt you.”

  I was hanging in front of her and could feel the tug on the line, indicating that someone was sliding down the line heading toward us. I swung around and threw my body behind hers and used my weight to push off, holding her tight. In a second we were racing through the forest again back in the direction I came from.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, wanting so desperately to comfort her.

  “I’m fine,” she whispered as I stared ahead at the fast-approaching canvas canopy.

  I wasn’t sure what we would face, but I wasn’t surprised to see that Puck was gone and it was just the two of us. Right as we landed, I unlocked Caroline’s pulley and pulled her into my arms.

  “I’m so sorry,” I whispered.

  “Why are you sorry?” she said as she pulled away to look at my face. “Stop saying that. Stop it. You have nothing to be sorry about. None of this is your fault. None of it.”

  I touched my forehead to hers.

  “You’re so wrong, Caroline—”

  She placed her hand on my lips to stop me from uttering another word.

  “No. More. Words.”

  • • •

  I couldn’t believe we made it through the rest of the zip-line trip. After Rowan caught up to us, I explained everything that had happened, and we spent the remainder of the time expecting another surprise. Thankfully, we were given reprieve.

  Mr. Copeland was suspiciously absent, but no one else seemed to notice until later when we loaded the bus and found him passed out on one of the seats. When he awoke he had no recollection of how he got there, which made all the students think that he had been drinking, because there was no other logical explanation for why he would have passed out. If he only knew.

  Rowan sat next to him on the bus ride home, placing his hands on his shoulders while he slept. Rowan felt his energy and confirmed that Puck was indeed gone and then whispered a sacred prayer of the Light to protect Mr. Copeland from any other magik. Rowan also assured me that he would do the same with Teddy. Puck could enter anyone he wanted, but at least this prayer would make it much more difficult.

  I looked around the bus at the students unaware of all of the battles we had faced over the past two days. They were all so vulnerable to Puck. But he wouldn’t repeat the same move twice. That wouldn’t be clever enough. I was beginning to think it might be wise to take Caroline back home. Back to Odin. But I knew Caroline wouldn’t want to leave. We reached the camp at dinnertime. Everyone was exhausted, especially Caroline. But she hadn’t complained once.

  Since Rowan had used great magik on Copeland, he was considerably tired and couldn’t even keep one eye open. He went straight to his tent to sleep, and I walked Caroline to her tent, where she proceeded to pull out some items for a shower, insisting that she needed to get cleaned up before bed.

  I hadn’t told her about Copeland or about Puck and had been careful to conceal my thoughts so that she could not read them. I didn’t want her to be afraid. I wanted her to live as much of a normal life as possible. Monsters, dark clouds, and the evil of a Fae like Puck wouldn’t keep her up at night. Not while I was around.

  “Are you sleeping—” she stammered. ”I mean, are you staying with me tonight or is Row—”

  “I am.” I told her adamantly. “I will be the only one to stay with you.”

  “Thank you. I was hoping you’d say that.”

  And I was glad she approved.

  “I’ll be right here for you,” I told her. “Just shout if you need me.”

  “Devilyn? Don’t you think someone might think it’s a little weird that you won’t leave my side?”

  “No,” I replied as I instinctively leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.

  “Why did you do that?”

  I leaned forward and whispered closely in her ear. “Because I wanted to. Now go and take a shower so we can eat and go to sleep.”

  I noted with some satisfaction that her face was bright red when she walked past me and headed inside. A few other girls walked by at the same time and saw the exchange, not able to hide their shocked looks.

  I didn’t mind.

  I didn’t care what anyone thought. I just wanted to be there for her, and I loved being able to show it. Their looks and stares were irrelevant to me. All that mattered was that she was safe.

  Something compelled me to move away from my position at the cement wall and turn the corner. I watched as a face took shape in the stone, then a body, and then a creature in the form of an old woman with long, stringy hair. She made a quick turn and began to walk in my direction.

  I stood directly in front of her.

  “Going somewhere?” I asked.

  The woman looked at me with emotionless eyes and smiled coldly.

  “I’m lost, my child,” she said in a voice that sounded like she was overcome with grief. She bowed her head.

  “Let me help you find your way home,” I said as I took a step closer.

  “Thank you, dear boy.”

  It happened in a flash.

  One second she was hunched over as if in deep pain, and the next she was hurling herself toward me, pointing a long dagger-shaped hand at my heart. The force of her strength was staggering and took me off guard. But I held her hand at bay and my reflexes surprised her. She gave me a smile that would have frozen hell itself.

  “You are like him,” she said in wonde
r. “The cherub-faced devil that woke me.”

  Puck. How I wished it actually was him that faced me now and not this thing that he had awakened from the dead.

  “I can assure you that I am worse,” I said as I used my power to propel her body into the darkness of the forest. I ran after her and watched her struggle to rise. Her face morphed from stone to human and back to stone again as she fought to regain her strength.

  She cackled loudly.

  “Worse?”

  “Much worse.” I advanced on her, allowing my eyes to glow a frightening shade of black so she could see what true darkness really was. “Because I have no use for any of your particular skills, I will banish you to the pits of hell—a sentence that I am more than sure you deserve.”

  I saw a brief look of fear come over her face before I began to chant, striking her with the force of my rage for the devious Puck. She was gone within a second.

  A creature of lore no more.

  Residing in an afterlife of hell.

  I bent down, breathing heavily and vowing that my next victim would be my father’s loyal servant. Puck. Taking a life, whether mortal or Fae, was not something I ever looked forward to. But an evil force like his needed to be stopped.

  If darkness was his guide, hell would soon be his home.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star.”

  —Friedrich Nietzsche

  New Grange, Boyne Valley, Ireland

  She was running out of time.

  Alderon would be coming for her.

  She knew it.

  She could feel it and she could see it in his eyes.

  And she knew him. Better than anyone.

  She had bared her soul to him. Not to protect herself. She didn’t care whether she lived or died. She only cared about protecting her children. A mother’s love is unwavering, it is a constant, and Tara would do anything to make sure that despite the choices she had made, they would never be in danger.

  After she admitted that she would always love him, he had vanished into the air. Had it been years before, he wouldn’t have left her. But he was a different man now. Weaker. Pushed to the brink, but he was holding on. Alderon was and would always be a fighter.

  Tara felt his strength—his powers had taken an enormous hit. It was much harder for him to survive in the mortal world with his power so diminished. For now, time in the human world was limited for him.

  And now it was limited for her.

  But as each day went by, he would grow stronger and his rage would only fuel his power. And Tara knew all of that anger would be directed at their son and Caroline.

  She knew he would be coming back to her as soon as he was able to appear again in the mortal world. So now more than ever, it was imperative that she call upon the Fates. They needed to hear her cry for mercy.

  Tara stepped into the small tunnel that led down the narrow, rocky path into the temple of the Fates.

  “Tara.”

  She wasn’t surprised to see the Great Mother Dana standing in the small circular area around the shrine. She was illuminated, more beautiful than Tara had even remembered. She fell to her knees and bowed before her.

  “I heard your soul cry out for mercy,” said Dana. “Rise, my child. It has been too long since I set eyes on the emerald beauty of the Light Court.”

  Tara lifted her head and stared at her. The tears she had tried to contain fell quickly.

  “I am lost,” Tara admitted.

  Dana stepped forward and placed her hand on Tara’s cheek.

  “Your heart weeps for love.”

  “How can I love him?” Tara asked as feelings of self-doubt and anguish washed over her. “After all that he has done and all he is, after the misery he brings upon our son, upon our kingdom, I love him still.”

  “The beauty of your light is that you set fire to his dark soul.”

  “But I could never stop him. I could never change him.”

  “He has his own course, and it is not our place to ask why,” Dana urged. “We must accept what is.”

  “It is difficult for me to just wait for the storm when I know what destruction it will bring.”

  “Why have you come here seeking out the Fates?”

  “To plead. To see if they will change my future. To see if there is a way out of this madness for me.”

  “The Fates do not always give the answers we want to hear,” Dana warned.

  “I am ready for whatever may come.”

  Dana nodded and then came to kneel next to Tara. With a wave of her hand, the Great Cauldron of Dagdas began to emerge from the ground.

  And for the first time in a long while, Tara felt as if she had finally come home.

  C

  Even though there were moments when I thought I wouldn’t make it, that I wouldn’t survive the cold air of the mountains, let alone the strange beings that popped up out of nowhere, I was not looking forward to going home.

  Because he wouldn’t be there.

  Nothing felt better or safer than the feeling of being near Devilyn. I didn’t want to leave him or any of it. I wanted to hold on to this time forever.

  But that wasn’t how life worked.

  Time didn’t stand still.

  • • •

  The last two days of the camping trip were relatively uneventful, thankfully. We went hiking one day and fishing the next.

  Not surprisingly, Devilyn and Rowan caught the most fish and actually took turns helping the other students. The two had come to some sort of unspoken truce, and I could tell they were actually starting to enjoy each other’s company, though neither would admit it.

  For our last night in Nantahala Forest, the teachers planned a big get-together and invited the local Cherokee Indians to perform the New Moon Ceremony, or Atohuna, as we were told it was called. It was the most religious and sacred of all Cherokee ceremonies because it was about the rekindling of relationships and a pledge of universal love.

  It had been beautiful to watch. Absolutely hypnotizing. Even Rowan and Tatiana were completely mesmerized. The sacred movements and chants of the Cherokees seemed to echo in one’s heart. They moved about the fire and sang words that I didn’t even comprehend but somehow resonated with every part of my soul. I looked over at Teddy, Rowan, and now even Tatiana to an extent, and believed that they were part of my tribe, one created through trust and love.

  Only one person was missing. And as soon as my thoughts drifted off to him, he called out to me.

  Caroline.

  There he was, leaning against a tree at the edge of the campsite, just watching me. I quietly rose and walked toward him, stopping when I was a few feet away. My heart was beating so loudly I was sure he could hear.

  He didn’t say anything.

  He didn’t have to. He just extended his hand. I didn’t hesitate to take it and followed him deep into the forest.

  It was insane. All of it.

  Us.

  This moment.

  But this electricity, this thing between us, was something I didn’t think I could ever live without.

  When we were safely hidden from prying eyes, he gently pushed me against a tree and cradled my face in his palms. His body, his energy, was all around me in a way that made my blood rush with excitement. His obsidian black eyes were intense with passion and longing as he stared down at me. He leaned in close and kissed the top of my forehead, taking a deep breath as if he needed it to survive.

  Careful not to overpower me with the depth of his emotion.

  Careful not to scare me.

  Not understanding that I wanted—I needed—this as much as he did.

  My hands reached up and held on to his arms as I moved my face up to his, offering myself to him.

  “You mean everything to me,” he whispered against my lips. “Everything.”

  And then he put his lips to mine and I lost all train of thought. This was what I dreamed about every night. His lips. Hi
s hands. My arms wrapped around his neck as his body moved into mine and he deepened the kiss. His hands circled my waist to pull me closer as he unleashed the full force of his passion. My heart beat faster in my chest as I lost all ability to think coherently. I felt like I’d died and gone to heaven.

  All I wanted—all I needed—was him.

  He pulled me as close as he could, running his hands down my sides, up my back, through my hair. I couldn’t get enough of him, and I knew that he needed more of me. Both of us breathing faster until we had to catch our breath.

  He slowly pulled his mouth away, not letting go of my body. When my brain could function again, I could hear the rhythmic sounds of the Cherokee drums echoing in the background as he stared at me.

  “I can’t stay away from you. It’s so hard … I just can’t do it.”

  I tried to tell him I didn’t want him to stay away, but he stopped me by putting his fingertips to my mouth.

  “No words,” he insisted, throwing the same phrase back at me that I’d said to him earlier in the week in my tent.

  He rubbed his thumb across my lips.

  “I need you to know that every time I see you I feel like my life is complete. I just can’t get enough. I love everything about you. The way you smile. The way you are with your friends. Your intelligence, your wit. Your sense of humor. The way your body feels next to mine. Like you were made for me. Because now I understand, more than ever, that you were. You know that, don’t you, Caroline?”

  I didn’t dare move or speak because I was afraid he’d stop whispering these magical words. His thumb traced my upper lip as he passionately continued on.

  “Your very existence is mine. It’s for me. Just like I’m for you. Only you,” he said. “And I don’t know what I’d do if—”

  I didn’t let him finish. I just leaned up and kissed him. I knew what he was going to say, but I didn’t want to hear it. All that mattered was the here and now.

  Nothing else.

  • • •

  When my dad and I pulled into our driveway late Sunday night, I was excited to see my mom and Famous, but I already missed my tent in the woods. I missed Devilyn and the safety of his arms.