“Find them and kill them,” a voice bellowed from the other side of the barrels.
Boots pounded away, tearing down the hallway we had just exited.
“So, the first explosions weren’t to lure us away…” a new voice said in a respectful tone. “Is this a full-scale assault, then, Sir? And why?”
“That’s the question, boy. Why would someone attack, today of all days?” the first voice growled, not sounding pleased that his initial assumption was apparently wrong – that the first explosions had been used to lure guards that way. Of course, he had been exactly right, but Carl’s latest explosion had been to dissuade that assumption. Cause confusion.
“The Queens…” the second soldier offered to his Captain or whatever they called superior officers, here.
“Perhaps. Or one of the guests near the Queens. Gather the men. I want a full Vine of Hatchetmen at the Feast. Now. But be discreet. We don’t want to cause a panic. The Feast and the Taking must continue as planned. Nothing out of the ordinary for the guests to notice. Not even the Queens. Look for any loners, those standing apart from everyone.”
“Yes, Sir.” He paused before leaving. “Forgive me, Sir, is everything alright? You seem… different.”
“Get out of my sight, boy. And don’t presume to know your betters, or how they think.”
“Yes, Sir,” the boy said, sounding terrified. Soon I heard him shouting in the distance, and then hundreds of boots racing past us through yet another hallway.
The hallways grew as still as a tomb, and I couldn’t be sure if the Captain had left or not. The silence stretched, and just as I was about to have a look, I heard a very soft, muffled moan from the barrels to our right. Ashley flinched, then turned to look at me. I shrugged, glancing at the shadowed stand of more barrels.
We crept closer, hands at the ready, and then froze as we saw it. A Fae was tied up and blindfolded. He wore military clothing like we had seen on the other guards, and had thorns on the shoulders, likely signifying rank of some sort. His clothes were crisp, clean, and well maintained.
An officer. What the—
“Master Wylde?” a voice whispered from beyond the first barrels, where we had heard the two soldiers speaking. I shared a confused look with Ashley, and then crept closer, leaving the hogtied officer where we had found him. I reached our hiding spot and then risked a glance over the top of the barrels.
And froze.
Robin Goodfellow was neatly folding a set of clothes on a table before him. He sat there, patted the pile, and then lifted his eyes to mine. He nodded politely, and then held out his hand for me to join him.
“What is this?” I asked, suddenly wary.
“I told you I would find a table near your conquest,” he said, watching me intently. He didn’t look mad, upset, or betrayed. In fact, he looked somewhat anticipatory. And thrilled.
I stood to my full height and stepped out from the shadows, scanning the hallways. “How did you know?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t. You obviously weren’t who you said you were. Looked like a couple of virgins in a brothel, to be honest. Then again, maybe I’m just perceptive. You seemed to have the others fooled well enough.” He tapped his fingers on the table, keeping them in plain sight. “If I wished you harm, I wouldn’t have sent away the guards.” He glanced down at the folded clothes before him. “Or subdued two officers, stolen one of their uniforms, and then impersonated him to give you a better chance. I simply would have strolled in, pointed at the barrels, and told them where you were.”
I nodded slowly. “But how? And why?”
“I followed you,” he said simply. He glanced up at the ceiling, leaning back, twisting to encompass the entire room. “This place can be so boring at times, whereas you excited me. I have a knack for discovering interesting things.”
“So, what, you’re just going to wish us good luck?” Again, something about him nagged at me, on the verge of memory. But I couldn’t grab it.
Robin nodded. “Why not? I don’t know what you intend to do, but it seems infinitely more interesting than your ridiculous idea to Take one of the Queens,” he said, laughing lightly. “May I ask—”
“I’d really rather you didn’t,” I said politely, even though I was cutting him off. “Better this way.” I hesitated, then flashed him a guilty grin. “But it will definitely be memorable. Especially if you have front row seats at the Feast.”
He tapped his lips, thinking. “Will I be seeing you at the Feast?”
“Not likely,” I said.
“I see,” he said, sounding disappointed. “Well, have fun, then.” He stood, brushed off his hands, and then began to whistle as he strolled past us. He called out over his shoulder before rounding a corner. “That guard was quite adamant about wanting you dead.” Then, he was gone, and the hallways returned to silence. I cocked my head, expecting to hear a battalion of these so called Hatchetmen storming to our position. But nothing happened.
“Let’s move,” I said. Ashley unfolded from a stack of chairs behind the table in front of me – where she would have been perfectly positioned to launch a knife into the back of Robin Goodfellow’s head. I nodded approval, not realizing she had moved to cover me. She sheathed a set of knives, and then ghosted towards one of the hallways, arching a brow at me. I nodded, and she disappeared around the corner.
“Clear,” I heard her whisper after a minute. I followed her into another hall that led directly to a set of stairs. I looked at her. “I checked at the bottom of the stairs, too, Wylde,” she said rolling her eyes as she emphasized my name. “What do you think of Goodfellow? Do you trust him?”
“I don’t trust anyone, Wulfra. Let’s hurry. Just in case I’m right.”
We dashed to the bottom of the stairs, careful to be quiet in case any guards had decided to pop in for tea after Ashley cleared the area. We peered around the corner. Two guards were slumped against a table, heads resting in plates of food. I arched a brow at Ashley.
“I took care of them,” she said with a shrug.
“I thought you just checked to see if any were here?”
She just grunted at me in response. Hearing no one else, I stepped out into the area, scanning three different doors on the opposite side of the room from the stairs. Ashley had either knocked out the guards, or killed them. It really didn’t matter at this point. If she had killed them, it didn’t change our priorities, and I couldn’t afford to waste time chastising her for it.
I stepped up to the closest door, took a breath, and then opened it.
A narrow hallway stretched into darkness, with cages for prisoners lining the walls. I waited for my eyes to adjust, fearing what kind of criminals I might view after seeing what the Fae considered civilized.
I frowned, suddenly feeling my hair stand on end. The cells were empty. All of them. I met Ashley’s eyes and saw they also looked very troubled.
I left the hallway, closed the door, and tried the next one. The kid had to be in one of them. If he had been taken to the banquet, Talon would have set off a fourth explosion before rushing to continue his task with Tory. But there hadn’t been a fourth explosion, so the kid should have been here, in the dungeon.
I opened the second door only to find more empty cells. No prisoners. At all.
I raced to the last section of doors, not caring about stealth any longer. It, too, was empty.
“Fuck,” I muttered.
“What now?”
I debated. No kid. The only thing left to do was meet Talon and see what the hell was going on. He was supposed to be heading to the royal chambers right about now, or already on his way back with his shoes. Or I could do like I was supposed to, and flee the city.
But I didn’t have the kid, which was the whole point in risking our lives today.
Just then, a very deep horn blew, sounding very far away, as if outside the city gates. But to be heard from the dungeons, it had to be very loud indeed. We shared a look, and then raced up the stairs. We rou
nded the corner to return to the room where we had seen Robin Goodfellow, and instead, we saw the two Fae Queens, sitting at the table, the officer we had seen tied up lying on the table between them.
Except he wasn’t alive anymore.
He looked to have been stabbed to death with an antler that one of the Queens was currently licking blood from. This blood was red. So, only some creatures had blue blood, I thought to myself, trying to ignore my sudden terror.
The Queens turned to look from me to Ashley, frowning.
Things can always get worse.
Chapter 29
I lowered my hands, staring at the two Queens. They looked much like last time I had seen them, except this time they weren’t pretending to be dressed. They had abandoned the lingerie and stood in all their feminine glory, which was currently liberally splashed with blood.
The Winter Queen had pale, pale skin, like the world’s most translucent sapphire glinting in the sun. She didn’t have fangs this time, but her pointed ears were still coated with wild frost, and her eyelashes had tiny little icicles. She absently touched her bare breast, not even seeming to realize it. Certain parts of her anatomy were the color of frozen raspberries – use your imagination – and her dark hair glistened with purple undertones.
In contrast, the Summer Queen looked like a California girl, pleasantly tanned, and hair in shades of red, yellow, and orange. She smelled fresh, like fruit, and a light patina of sweat slicked her skin, just begging to be touched… I shook my head, frowning at her.
I remembered another thing. Last time I had seen them, the Summer Queen had been wearing heels that resembled molten lava. They were both barefoot now, but was that the pair of heels Talon was trying to steal? I couldn’t remember seeing a pair on the Winter Queen.
They did not like failure in their soldiers, obviously. Poor bastard had been kidnapped and tied up by Robin Goodfellow, and now he was dead, having his own Queens drink his blood.
The Summer Queen strolled around the table in slow, languid steps, a cat hunting two mice, considering me hungrily.
But I wasn’t a fucking mouse.
I was Wylde.
I stepped forward, unbuttoning the strap closest to my throat, tugging it loose so I could show off some skin, but also a little of something else.
Her eyes latched onto the skin with a hungry purr, which suddenly transformed into a rictus of unease and confusion. Her eyes darted to my face, my body, and back to my throat.
Where the wooden disc hung on a leather thong.
“My Queens…” I said, licking my lips. “I’m here for the boy. Let’s not replay our last encounter. As fun as that was,” I added with a shit-eating smirk.
She took a step back, and even though uneasy and stumbling for a Fae, she still moved like poured molasses compared to most humans, luxurious, smooth, and flowing.
The Winter Queen stood, placing her hands on her hips in a universal sign that commanded children to obey their parents.
“You’ve put on some weight since we last met,” I commented.
She snarled, opening her mouth wordlessly, face furious, but also not having anything she could actually do. Because her eyes consistently locked onto my necklace, now, too.
I reached up, thumbing it absently. “I’m not sure what a war of succession would look like here, but my Brothers did tell me that I need to get some practice time in. Riding a horse, killing, butchering, causing general mayhem. You know,” I waved a hand. “Apocalyptic-y stuff.”
The Summer Queen actually snarled at me. “How did you get here?” sounding both stunned, amused, and anxious at the same time.
“Well, I walked through a fucking door, believe it or not. Where is the kid?”
The Winter Queen leaned forward, scraping her nails across the wood, actually digging up curling ribbons of wood, which immediately frosted over. She sounded angry, but slightly satisfied at the same time. “I don’t know how you got here, Temple, but it just might have been the stupidest thing you’ve ever done. The boy is gone, running through the forests.” She seemed to be suddenly realizing a delicious chain-of-events that no one else saw.
I frowned. “But you intended to kill him. Why would you let him go free?” I asked, keeping my tone threatening.
The Summer Queen folded her arms, pressing up her cleavage – which had likely impressed many people in the past. Not me. Fae boobies were not as fun as they looked. I knew she was a monster. All monsters were pretty. The prettier, the more dangerous. And ruthless. “Did she say we freed him?” she asked, amused. “Perhaps placing him in the wild was only the first stage of his torture…” she grinned hungrily. “The start of the game. A game everyone has gathered to watch. Every pixie, troll, barrow hag, and nymph will see this, from every reflection of water, we will see. From every drop of blood, the show will reflect to us. We watch that most hallowed tradition among our people…”
My mouth turned dry, and I shook my head. “That… doesn’t make any sense.”
The Winter Queen nodded in satisfaction, slowly licking her lips. “From your surprise, I take it that Oberon himself had something to do with your arrival.” She let out a delighted laugh. “Oh, my. You had no idea what you were walking into, did you? I’m inclined to let this play out. Much better than killing you now,” she chuckled. “Naughty, naughty, kings. Can’t be trusted a finger, because to kings, one finger always means two…” she added with a lustful grin.
I shook my head, ignoring the sexual innuendo. This couldn’t be true. Oberon had sent us here to get the boy. Why would he lie to us? Only to…
The Summer Queen laughed delightedly, clapping. “Oh, dear. Were you Invited here?” She rounded on her sister, who looked suddenly ecstatic, nodding. “How very clever of him…” she added, shaking her head. “Alas, your game is over now, Initiate. You have failed. Your death approaches on swift feet, but not by our hand. This is so much better than what I had planned for you.”
“You are beginning to see the depths of the game played upon you, Temple. You were misled. Oberon hunts the boy even now, as we sit here,” The Winter Queen said, grinning.
“What is she talking about, Wylde?” Ashley growled, and her words snapped me out of it.
“The Wild Hunt, Wulfra. Oberon commands the Wild Hunt, and he’s going after our prey.”
Ashley grunted, sounding unimpressed. “You knew this already. It doesn’t change anything. That child is mine. Oberon was just a means to an end, anyway. You used him as much as he used you,” Ashley muttered arrogantly, putting on the best show I had ever seen. I went with it, ignoring the sudden confused, calculating looks on the Queens’ faces.
They had, of course, assumed correctly. That Oberon had sent us here to get the kid, double-crossing us. But Ashley was making it sound like we had been here to get the kid anyway, and that we had simply used Oberon to get a better shot. This would make them wonder why we wanted the kid, and would effectively remove any blame from Oberon. Well, not that. But it would make the Queens forget about any kind of permanent collaboration, which meant they didn’t truly understand where they stood.
Thinking I had been duped by Oberon gave them a sense of control, a reason not to kill us.
Hearing that we had been using Oberon the entire time gave them a sense of unease. What surprises had we yet to reveal? If Oberon was just a convenient happenstance, what had been our true plan? And I saw fear in their eyes as memories of Manling Tales danced in their minds. Those deceitful, evil little Manlings.
Create fear and plausible doubt, even if unfounded, and then let the enemy stew in it.
Ashley was either using her skills as a Corporate Executive, or some unknown law of the jungle that she had garnered from her savage side. It was both the same, really.
“True,” I sighed. “Oh well. We’ll stick with our original plan, then,” I told Ashley, nodding. Then I turned my back on the Queens. “Let’s go, Wulfra. I’m not sure what it is about seeing Fae women naked, but maybe the insta
nt disgust just drives me to the arms of a real woman. Let’s go have some fun before we pick up the kid. We’ve got plenty of time, after all. Oberon has no idea what’s coming.” I growled hungrily, eyeing her up and down. “And my eyes want to feast on some real beauty after all this…” I glanced back at the Queens, grimacing with distaste, “Overcompensation.” Then I reached down and pinched Ashley on the ass.
Ashley shot me a fiery, passionate look, and a slow, promising smile split her cheeks. Then she paused. “What about the two crones?” she asked.
I shrugged, glancing back at them again. Their faces were red with outrage. “I guess we can leave them. It’s not like they can do any harm. Let them have their feast, I guess. It will make for a good story when we get the kid back and their entire kingdom witnesses their failure.”
And I turned away again as they began to shout, threaten, and curse – screaming for guards. No longer content to let Oberon’s Wild Hunt take us down. The first wave of Fae soldiers rolled into the doorway in front of us. I remembered my first conversation with the Queens, when we had been grabbed into their world while fighting in the Circus. They had mentioned balance. Dark and Light. Glamourie and Grammarie. Beasts and Masters. Fire and Ice. Life and Death… Could that pertain to here? With Wylde and I? That we needed to find that balance, that give and take. Not one over the other, but an agreement between them.
I smiled hungrily, and embraced Wylde, not even slowing my steps. Time to play, I told him.
I wasn’t sure what I did, how I did it, or if I really wanted to know.
I pulled deep from the shadows on the wall, and rolled it over the soldiers like a lead blanket. They suffocated under the weight, choking or crushed. I stepped over them as the next wave stormed in. I brought their armor to life with a whisper to the earth, calling her Name, bowing down to her will, and asking her to usurp these Fae who had killed her children only to wear their carcasses as armor.
She screamed in motherly outrage, and I realized I was laughing.
Wild Side: A Nate Temple Supernatural Thriller Book 7 (The Temple Chronicles) Page 17