But here?
Barbie and Ebony had mentioned the Takings. Was it some kind of traditional fight? Whoever wins gets to sleep with a Queen?
Robin shook his head in amusement. “She does like her consorts rough. Perhaps you have a chance,” he said with a shrug, “if you ask nicely. Anyway, best of luck. Everyone tries.”
I shrugged, trying to look guilty. “Thought it best to keep it a secret,” I chuckled. “The Taking,” I added, grinning.
Robin froze, completely turning around to face me, looking stunned. And I instantly wanted to run away. Shit.
Chapter 26
Robin continued to stare at me, and I saw Ashley slowly reaching for her dagger. Before she could act, Robin spoke. “I thought you were trying to gain their attention and get an invitation. But you intend to Take one of the queens?” he whispered in a tone so low that only I could hear.
I hesitated.
He shook his head in disbelief. “Sweet sylph… You really are one crazy bastard…” he said in an awed tone.
I carefully relaxed my shoulders, nodding in gratitude of his compliment. “I aim to surprise.”
He was nodding agreement. “That you do. That you fucking do. You should probably keep that between us. I don’t recall the last time one of the Queens was Taken, or if they had ever been Taken, but that will surely be a nice surprise. Keep that to your advantage. And if that interferes with our feast arrangement, good fucking riddance to you,” he said, smiling from ear to ear. “But you must tell me all about it, after.”
I nodded, and then placed a finger to my lips. He turned around, shaking his head, and I realized we were at the front of the line. The stone walls of the palace climbed above our heads for fifty feet or more, and that was just the wall. Several towers rose even higher, but I couldn’t make out the entire layout from here. Not that I needed to. I had flown over the whole palace earlier, getting a better idea of the grounds than I ever could have by walking through it.
A dozen guards in armor stared us down with perfectly hairless jaws. Their armor was made entirely of leaves, sticks, and vines, but somehow looked as elegant, pristine, ornate, and serviceable as any I had ever seen.
Simply put, they looked stunning. I even spotted a few women among the guards, relieving some tension I hadn’t noticed I’d been carrying. I wasn’t sure how the Fae considered women – other than the obvious royalty – and had been concerned that Ashley and Tory might raise eyebrows.
Robin was quickly ushered through with a familiar nod from a female guard. I noticed her satisfied grin, even though she tried to hide it, belying that she and Robin were already well-acquainted. Robin called out to her. “Those two are with me,” he winked.
She glanced at us, studying us from head to toe, and then shrugged. “A friend of Robin is a friend of mine.” Then she leered at me suggestively. “Perhaps I’ll see you around after my shift. You have a touch of nature to you, and I miss having a rough hand in my bed.”
Robin scowled at her, but I could tell his heart wasn’t really in it. She glanced at him over a shoulder. “Oh, I’ll have plenty of time for you, too, my sweet. Dessert.”
Robin nodded greedily. “Divine,” he said. He rubbed his knuckles on his fine velvet suit, looking like he had stepped out of the Renaissance Era. I hadn’t really looked earlier, but with his attention on the guard, I had the perfect opportunity. His clothes were perfectly tailored, and in various shades of green. I hadn’t really read much on him, but something about him felt wrong, like I should know him.
“What about me?” Ashley said, studying the woman before her. “I have an appetite as well.”
Robin burst out laughing. “These two!” he chuckled.
The guard nodded at Ashley. “That sounds… quite intriguing. Find me.” Then she looked at me. “Both of you. I, too, have an appetite.”
I grinned back at her, trying to make my face look like I was gazing at a piece of sizzling steak. Ashley stretched her hands above her head, displaying her body for full view. “You won’t be hungry for long…” she said as she strolled by.
I heard the guard purr in response, but didn’t glance back as we rejoined Robin. He nodded at us, and then held out a hand behind him, revealing a tunnel in the stone walls that led deep into the heart of the Fae. “Welcome to the palace, where all your dreams may come true…”
Chapter 27
We had about an hour before the festivities began, which should give us ample time to find the kid, kill the guards, and get the hell out of here. Ashley shot me a questioning look, and then glanced at Robin’s back, politely asking if we should just kill him.
I shook my head, and her face grew concerned, as if to say, then what the hell are we going to do?
I had no answer to that. We followed him through the tunnel, towards bright lights just ahead. Let me just tell you that I wasn’t really sure what to expect, even though I had spent some time in the Fae by now. This is what I had learned so far – some trees were alive, sentient, and could kill you.
Eight-legged pests in our world were chrome killers here.
Everyone I had met wanted to screw, kill, or eat anyone they met.
Except for Robin, who seemed… maybe not normal, but close.
Which made me a little nervous of the opening just ahead. Because Robin’s version of civilized still had some very dark undertones. I stepped out into blinding light, squinting.
It was daytime. What the hell? That quickly? The sun was fully overhead now, shining down on us as if it were noon, revealing a tapestry of life and wealth that made my head spin. Flowers, bushes, and stands with merchants selling fruits, meats, and charms filled the stone courtyard. A fountain stood nearby with several nude Fae splashing each other while giggling. A few had skipped the foreplay and were simply going to town on each other. Hungry males watched them with wicked intent.
Giant cages swung from the branches of two giant white trees, as thick around the trunk as an SUV. Inside the ornately gilded cages were groups of Fae, wildly dancing, kissing, painting each other, and getting it on. In no particular order, and much of it happening simultaneously.
The only thing that made me glad was that I didn’t notice any inter-species play. I wasn’t sure if I could have handled that. An ogre and a goblin, for example, would have simply made me run screaming in horror. Every one of the participants was vaguely humanoid with pointy ears. Their skin seemed to glow with glitter, and they each wore jeweled collars around their throats. Property of the queens, I guessed. The geometric designs they painted on each other were savage, making them look like we had stumbled onto the Wall Street version of Burning Man.
The cages swung back and forth in great swooping arcs, but none of the Fae inside stumbled, either used to it, or the cage was enchanted so that they simply didn’t slam into each other, ruining the sex show with broken limbs.
Silk ribbons hung from the bottom of the cage, and every now and then, a Fae on the ground would jump to snatch one. They tore away easily. I watched as one successful Fae took his silken prize, and looped it around another Fae woman, who rounded on him with an angry glare. The moment he tugged on his sash around her waist, her face changed into lust, and she willingly danced into his arms. She grinned, ripped off her top, and pressed her body against his. Their embrace devolved from there, encouraged by rounds of applause from the other young men, and scowls from the young women. I kept my face blank, turning away. A date-rape ribbon?
Several trolls lay on cushions beneath the swings, eating great roasted legs of meat that must have come from a bison or something. Pixies on delicate leashes zipped around their heads, picking out filth and bugs like you might see those monkeys do in the zoo. Once finished, another set of pixies swooped in and began to braid the ogre’s matted hair, tying in shells, bones, and trinkets.
The pixies looked exhausted, and defeated. I saw that a lot of the ogres in the area had already been fancied up, and then I saw the long line of ogres behind those being s
erviced. It seemed they all wanted a quick clean and upgrade, and the tiny sprites were all but spent. I knew for a fact that no matter how tired they were, they wouldn’t dare stop any time soon. Because a hungry troll held a fistful of chains like one might hold a bouquet of balloons. Except those silver chains each led to one of the pixies, rather than a balloon. They were prisoners. Slaves.
And I saw that the troll was cleaning his teeth with a pixie-sized bone that still had some flesh attached to it. I pretended not to see this, too, or else I would have had to kill him. And then an army of guards would hunt me down for being a buzzkill at their civilized party.
I saw Talon watching me out of the corner of his eye, a dozen paces away. Even though he looked like a goblin, now, I could see through his disguise if I focused. He gave a subtle shake of his head, and then he and his tall warrior woman – Tory – drifted into the crowd, heading away from us.
I let my eyes roam, trying not to focus too intently on any one facet, because it was all so much. Sensory overload. A band of musicians played nearby, a haunting melody that sent the nearby crowd into applauding sobs. As they stopped, another tune seemed to melt out of it from another band, seamlessly transforming the end of their sad tune into a merry dancing jig.
The only ones nearby who didn’t dance were the several trios of guards marching in small pockets, giant halberds at their shoulders. Their faces were hard, hairless, and beautiful, like polished ivory.
I watched them, while pretending not to, and counted their number in the several groups I could see, trying to learn their rotation. As I did this, I realized I wasn’t entirely sure what they were supposed to guard against. Everything I had seen so far was pretty much a felony in my world. What could be considered worse than servitude, murder, bondage, and date-rape ribbons?
I got a decent idea of the timetable we had to work in, and the number of guards we needed to look out for – at least in this area – and turned back to Ashley. Robin stood beside her, holding her wrist, and smiling at me. Before I could get all territorial, he waved me to follow.
I walked up to them slowly, glanced down at his hand on her wrist, and then back to his face. I didn’t show any anger. I just looked at him. He casually released her hand, and I nodded.
“I think we’ll take a walk before the feast. Clear our heads,” I said, casting a subtle wink at Robin. A smile crept onto Ashley’s cheeks, and she slowly reached out to grip my wrist subserviently, licking her lips as she studied some of the more amorous guests.
Robin chuckled, shaking his head. “Insatiable beasts…” He sighed. “Well, find me before the festivities. I’ll make sure to grab a table near… your next conquest,” he said to me in a cryptic manner. Right, the Queens. Because he thought I was going to try to take one of them in some triumphant rape scenario that everyone seemed to be casually open to.
This place…
I grinned, dipped my chin, and then began walking away with Ashley. She let out a soft sigh when we were out of earshot. “Nate?” she asked.
“Hmm?” I said, studying the flow of bodies, looking for an opening that would lead us towards the kid. Then I froze. I jerked Ashley into a nearby stoop behind a stand selling fruit, acting as if I was suddenly interested in a little hankie-pankie. The crowd took no notice, used to this. I stared into Ashley’s eyes from inches away.
She swallowed, licking her lips. “Nate, where are we?”
I let out a long breath, and then an exuberant smile. She had called me Nate. That was a first. She was remembering. “It’s okay, Ashley. We’re here to save a kid, remember?”
“It’s like a dream,” she whispered. Then, realizing how that sounded, she shook her head. “I mean, this place is like a nightmare. But it also feels normal on some level. What feels like a dream is those other thoughts. Gunnar…” she said, her eyes taking in my disguise. “What’s happened to us? Why is everything so confusing?” she asked, sounding on the verge of tears.
I broke it down for her, telling her everything that had happened, and how everyone had been acting, that the Fae world had been changing us, somehow. After a long silence, she slowly nodded. “I feel crazy,” she whispered.
“Just remember which one is the real you. Don’t block out the other you, the one this place made, because we need that person for a little longer. Okay, Wulfra?” I gripped her chin gently but firmly. She nodded uncertainly. “But. Don’t. Forget. Gunnar,” I said, pinning her with my eyes. “Use him as a totem. That’s the real life. Gunnar. Remember that, and everything else will fall into place.”
She nodded, studying my face – my cheeks, chin, jaw, everything. “You look so much like him. It’s… I think it’s what finally snapped me out of it.” I nodded, not sure if this was a catastrophic turn of events or a good one. Here in the palace, it could be the worst thing imaginable. Unless she could keep track of that primitive side – Wulfra – now having a better understanding of how important it was.
“It’s affecting all of us. Even me. I just snapped out of it sooner. Talon’s aware, like us. I’m not sure about Tory, but I tried to use my magic to help you two remember the truth. You were asleep, but I think it’s helping. But we can’t assume. We can’t let on that we know something is wrong. We have to guide them to it. If we dump something like this on them now, when they are in this savage state, who knows what could happen?”
She nodded. “It’s so hard being both. But I’ll try.” She paused, thinking. “What about Carl?”
I shrugged. “No clue. He’s still extremely creepy, but I think I’m beginning to realize he’s a lot more dangerous than we ever thought. Talon is terrified of him on some level.”
“Fucking… Carl,” she finally said, as if it exhausted her to recall the words.
I grinned. “Fucking Carl is right. Now, can you keep it together? Act like a bloodthirsty psycho, but on your best behavior for the party?”
She nodded. “I’ll do my best.”
“Keep an eye on me. I’ll try to guide you if I think you’re doing anything wrong. Otherwise, just act like the merciless werewolf you are. They seem to dig that here.”
She shuddered, but gave me a nod. Then she kissed me on the lips, grabbing my ass in the process. She peeled herself away, breathing heavily. I couldn’t move.
“Um, Ashley?”
She looked down. “It felt like something Wulfra should do. They were watching,” she mumbled, indicating a few watchers behind us. I didn’t turn to look, but nodded at her.
“Okay…”
“And…” she added, squeezing my wrist affectionately. “I wanted to kiss Gunnar. To keep me grounded.” Her eyes slowly lifted to mine. “If he ever hears about this, I’ll rip your face off.”
I nodded, unable to hide my grin. “I don’t think you’d get to. He already would have killed me by the time I got halfway through the story.”
She smiled, nodded, and then took a deep breath. “Damn right. Let’s go.”
I tugged her out from the alcove and we continued on through the crowd. I kept my palm on her wrist, letting everyone see she was mine. Wylde grumbled his approval at that, but he had been oddly silent while I was talking to Ashley. Not much I could do about it. I was sure he had heard every word, and that he didn’t exactly know what to make of it. But I was sure it had bothered him.
As we wandered through the crowd, I reached out to him. How are we doing on time?
I felt a swirl of strange sensations inside of me, and then felt Ashley’s arm tense under my palm. But nothing obvious happened. We stood near a bend in the street with an open doorway tucked behind a bush a few paces away. We were in position.
Then something exploded far away, past the area where we had first entered the palace. Then another blast rocked the palace in a slightly different location, but still near the first one. I shoved Ashley out of the way as a handful of guards spilled out of the open doorway behind the bush.
They raced out, halberds down, using them to smack lazy Fae out of t
he way if they didn’t move fast enough. Most were well clear, as if familiar with their chances. The funny thing was that although everyone turned to face the explosions, watching the smoke rising up in the air, none of them looked particularly concerned. They looked… excited.
I tugged Ashley through the open doorway before anyone had a chance to notice, and we pressed ourselves against the cool brick wall of a dimly lit hallway that was significantly less ornate than the courtyard and streets had been.
“Let’s be quick,” I whispered.
Ashley’s eyes glinted in the weak light, looking like an animal, no trace of the woman I knew.
Chapter 28
We crouched behind a stack of barrels in an underground storage room between hallways, waiting. We hadn’t run across any guards, managing to hide just before being noticed, thankfully. I could sense Ashley’s agitation, so I placed my hand on her thigh, squeezing.
“Wait,” I whispered.
She nodded, breathing deeply, looking as if I had told her to wait while a table of fresh barbecue sat two feet away.
We didn’t have to wait long. The ground rocked, and the barrels above us groaned in their stands. That explosion had been much closer, on our side of the city, and likely only fifty feet away, but located in the streets, under a merchant’s stand if Carl had done as he was told. Which sounded stupid, but really wasn’t.
If Carl made his explosions and distractions on only one side of the city, someone was bound to consider why attention was being drawn away from the other half.
Of course, this only mattered if one of the Fae guards was intuitive and particularly devious, but judging by my time here, I had assumed this to be the case. Fae weren’t very trusting, and with so many tricky, deceitful stories about them, I had figured it kind of ran in their blood.
Wild Side: A Nate Temple Supernatural Thriller Book 7 (The Temple Chronicles) Page 16