by S. E. Smith
“Surely she understands that making a deal with a child is unacceptable,” Jenny reasoned.
Orion wished it was that simple, but it wasn’t. His cousin lived in the deepest, darkest recesses of the ocean, long ago banished by his father to spend her days in the dark void for her part in inciting the war between the different kingdoms. While he wished his father could have done more, his cousin had invoked an ancient law preventing his father, a blood heir to the throne, from killing another blood heir.
“I must find out what Dolph has done,” Orion explained. “If he gave a blood oath, then I have no choice but to listen to her demands.”
“May I come?” Jenny asked. “If it has anything to do with me, I think I should be there. I also think it would help Dolph to know that we will both be there for him.”
Orion paused for a moment, his mind racing through possible scenarios. For a brief moment, indecision pulled at him. Jenny did not understand the laws of the Seven Kingdoms. A brief flash of Dolph and Juno’s anxious faces swept through his mind. Jenny was right—this did also concern her. Drawing in a deep breath, Orion turned to face her again.
“Jenny,” he said, pausing as he thought what he should tell her. Raising his hand, he gently touched her cheek and looked at her with an expression of regret. “If what I suspect has happened, I need you to say yes when I ask you a question. It is imperative not only to Dolph’s future but to the future of my people and kingdom as well. What I will ask of you will change your life from this day forth.”
He watched as a crooked, uneasy smile lifted the corner of Jenny’s mouth. He liked that she didn’t automatically agree but thought carefully about his words. He had much to learn about her, just as she did about him and his people, but something told him that she would not shy away from such a challenge.
“I think that happened about three hours ago,” she replied. “What is it that I have to say ‘yes’ to?”
Lowering his head, Orion pulled her close to his side and bent to murmur in her ear. He felt her stiffen in surprise and shock at his softly spoken words, but she didn’t protest. Glancing back up, he nodded to Kapian.
“Dolph and Juno are with Kelia. Find them and meet me in the throne room,” he ordered.
Orion could feel Jenny tremble when he grasped her hand and guided her out of his living quarters. It was a crazy plan, one that he wasn’t sure would work. It was possible that Magna had discovered that they had located and retrieved the eye she had stolen and she would demand that he turn over the trident to her. He would have felt more confident of that if she had not also demanded that Dolph be present.
He slowed his pace when he heard Jenny draw in a deep breath. The grip she had on his hand was surprisingly strong. He winced and caressed his thumb across the back of her hand in reassurance. She shot him an apologetic smile and loosened her grip.
“Sorry, sudden nervous habit, I guess,” she murmured as they walked down one long corridor after another.
“I…,” Orion started to say before he stopped when he saw Kapian with Kelia and the boys by the entrance to the throne room. He paused a few feet away and turned to look down at her. Lifting a hand, he gently brushed it across her pale cheek. “There is a small room to the side when we enter. Wait there. If, and only if, I need you, I will call. I promise to do everything I can not to involve you in my family and my kingdom's troubles, Jenny.”
Jenny smiled up at him with a crooked grin. “No worries. Saving kingdoms are all in a day’s work. Just call Jenny’s Kingdom Savers. We run specials every Monday,” she joked before shaking her head in disgust. “I’ve totally lost my mind. I think I was around Carly for too long. Please, ignore me.”
Orion chuckled and leaned down to brush a tender kiss across her pursed lips. “Now where would the fun be in that?” he replied.
He pulled back and stepped away from Jenny. Despite the tenseness of the moment, he felt confident. He would deal with his cousin once and for all. Magna had broken the ancient law that prevented him from punishing her when she had returned to the palace a few weeks ago. Today, he would force his cousin to undo the dark magic that she’d used to imprison the dragons before he ended her miserable life.
“Dolph, come with me. Juno, stay with Jenny and Kelia. Kapian… if Magna tries to escape, get Dolph to safety. I will take care of my cousin,” Orion ordered.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Kapian replied.
Orion nodded to Kapian when he bowed his head and stepped away. He knew Kapian would enter through the main doors of the throne room while he and the others entered through an entrance reserved for the royal family. Stepping closer to his eldest son, he knelt down and placed his hands on Dolph’s thin shoulders.
Jenny carefully watched Orion’s expressions as he quietly spoke to Dolph. She only caught a few of the words, but it was enough to make her stomach tighten. Oath, spell, blood, contract… It didn’t take a scientist to figure out what was going on. She had read enough fairy tales to her students to understand what those words could mean. The fact that this was really happening only made the situation seem even more bizarre—and dangerous. The tight look of concern on Orion’s face and the fear in Dolph’s eyes made her want to reach out to both of them and wrap her arms around them.
His expression grim but determined, Orion stood up and placed his hand on Dolph’s shoulder. He glanced at her over his shoulder, and she nodded in encouragement. It was hard seeing the flicker of uncertainty in his gaze before he masked it. She couldn’t help but feel he was just as confused by the feelings passing between them as she was. Throw in everything else that was happening and she would have sworn she’d awakened in a Tim Burton movie.
Jenny quietly followed Orion and Dolph through the ornately carved wooden door. She stood in the shadows of a small alcove not far from the entrance. She would be able to see and hear everything going on from this vantage point without being seen herself.
A wry smile curved her lips when she saw Orion nod to Dolph before he sat down on the large throne in the center of the platform. The guy was not only sexy as all get-out, but smart too. This Magna lady would be on a lower level than him and at a disadvantage.
The look of determination in both their eyes helped push away the doubt she had and gave her more confidence in her decision to accept what she might have to do. She swallowed and raised a trembling hand to her brow to push away a strand of hair. When Orion said her life would be different from this day forward, he hadn’t been joking.
Her eyes wandered over Orion again. A shiver ran through her body, and she could feel heat course through her as she studied him. There was definitely an intense physical reaction to the man that she had never felt before toward another guy, including her ex-lovers.
The sound of the doors opening and the sight of Orion’s jaw tightening warned her that his unwelcome visitor had arrived. Jenny’s eyes widened when she saw a slight color change in Orion’s skin. Muted shades of green, yellow, and silver ran up the side of his neck and along his right cheek. The change in color highlighted the thin, three inch line, almost like a scar, running along the column.
Gills? she wondered in awe.
Orion's broad shoulders stiffened, and his face hardened into a mask of cold indifference that sent a shiver through her. In the background, she heard the faint sound of footsteps against the smooth limestone tiles that made up the floor of the throne room. Jenny bit her lip when she heard Dolph emit a soft whimper of pain.
“Stop!” Orion growled in an icy tone, slowly rising from his seat.
A malevolent cackle echoed loudly in the room. Jenny’s fingers curled into a tight fist. She couldn’t see the woman’s face, but the sound of her enjoyment of Dolph’s pain was enough to make her want to do a fist-plant against the woman’s mouth.
“He is mine, Orion,” the woman replied in a quiet voice.
“No, he isn’t!” Orion snarled. “Even you should have more honor than to trick a child.”
Jenny took a
quiet step to the side, just far enough to see the bottom of the throne platform between the pillars concealing her. For a moment, her stomach twisted in pain at the sight of the beautiful woman standing in front of Orion. The woman’s rich black hair hung like a curtain down to her waist. Her gaunt face was pale, almost the color of a shimmering white pearl. Her lips were painted as black as her hair, making them stand out. She was taller than Jenny by at least a foot and was slender to the point of being emaciated. A stark white gown encased her lithe form, making Jenny’s blouse and trouser clad figure look painfully underdressed.
“You should have taught him to be more careful, Orion,” Magna replied. “He is reckless, like his father. That will change when I become his mother.”
“Never!” Orion snapped, taking a step forward. “Release him, Magna. I warn you, I won’t let you take my son.”
Magna smirked up at Orion. “You can’t stop me,” she replied in a soft, confident voice. “I have his signature in blood. I control his destiny, and now yours. Accept me back into the kingdom as your bride, Orion, or I will take him as my own. Time is running out. If you have not claimed a bride in less than two days’ time, I will challenge you for the kingdom. Accept me and you can keep both your son and the kingdom, deny me and you will lose everything, Orion.”
“I have chosen a bride,” Orion stated in a cold voice. “Your claim on my son and the kingdom is negated.”
Magna’s eyes flashed with rage before they cleared. The smile that Jenny was beginning to hate pulled at the woman’s lips again. The witch with a capital ‘B’ might be beautiful on the outside, but she was about as nasty as it came on the inside.
“That is not the way it works, Orion,” Magna informed him, slowly climbing the steps. “If you take a bride other than me, you will retain your place as king, but lose your son,” she said with mock sympathy. Magna waved her left hand and the contract with Dolph’s scribbled first name signed in blood on it appeared. “Read the fine print.”
Orion held out his right hand and waited as the contract floated through the air to him. Jenny drew in a swift breath at the obvious magic and watched as he carefully unrolled the scroll and read it. His face darkened at first before his expression cleared. His upper lip curled into a sneer of triumph and he carefully rolled the scroll. Hope filled Jenny when he looked back at Magna.
“The contract states that Dolph must return with a bride for me, a mother for him and Juno, and he has. Both Dolph and the kingdom will remain mine, Magna,” Orion stated.
Magna shook her head. “Read the very, very fine print,” she chirped with a glimmer of malicious glee in her eyes. “To be specific, Dolph was to return with a female from another world with hair the color of fire. The female must come of her own free will and agree to be your bride before midnight of Juno’s fifth year of life. You are good, Orion, but not even you can save your son. The only way to do so is to accept me as your bride.”
“I did read the very, very fine print, Magna. Jenny,” Orion called out, never taking his eyes off of Magna. “Come stand at my side.”
Jenny trembled and swallowed. Now was not the time to chicken out, she quietly told herself. Straightening her shoulders, she smoothed her hand over her hair. Drawing in a deep, steadying breath, she stepped out from behind the pillar and pasted a smile on her lips. A surge of glee swept through Jenny when she saw Magna turn and stare at her in stunned disbelief.
Take that, bitch! she couldn’t help silently crowing.
Tossing her head, she grinned at Dolph when his eyes lit up. A sense of calm settled over her as she walked closer to where he was standing next to Orion. Her chin lifted when Orion reached out his hand to her. Jenny threaded her fingers through his and squeezed his hand to let him know that he needn’t worry about what she would do. Turning to face Magna, she locked gazes with the other woman.
“Hi, I’m the fire-haired woman from another world that came of her own free will to be Orion’s bride before Juno’s fifth birthday,” Jenny announced with a grin. “I think that just about covers all of the ‘very, very fine print’, doesn’t it, Orion?”
A smothered chuckle escaped Kapian who had come up to stand near the bottom of the steps behind Magna. Jenny knew her eyes were twinkling with amusement when she glanced up at Orion.
“Yes, I think it does,” he replied with a soft chuckle.
Jenny nodded when he squeezed her hand once more before he released it to turn his full attention back to Magna. She didn’t miss the hard expression he directed at the woman standing with her fists clenched or the sharp glance he shot at the man standing behind her. Jenny blanched at the unnatural swirls of dark color that had changed the woman’s eyes.
“This isn’t over,” Magna snarled, glaring at Jenny before turning her gaze back to Orion. “As long as the Eyes of the Sea Serpent are missing, I will fight for control of the Isle of the Sea Serpent.”
Orion reached into the pocket of his black trousers and pulled out a brown bag. Jenny drew in a swift breath when he took a menacing step forward. He opened the bag and tilted it. A small, familiar stone fell out of it. Her eyes widened when he held up the stone. Her gaze darted back and forth between Orion, the stone in his hand, and Magna’s face. If the woman had been furious before, it was nothing compared to what she was now.
“How? It is impossible!” Magna roared, trying to reach out and snatch the smooth stone out of Orion’s hand. “You dared to enter the abyss? You have no idea what you have done!”
“No, you have no idea of what you have done, Magna,” Orion stated in a cold, hard voice. “You were banished to the depths, cousin, you should have stayed there. You leave me no choice but to prevent you from doing more harm to the world. If you reverse the spell you cast upon the dragons, I will spare your life and banish you to live out the last of your days imprisoned in the tower above the water.”
“You do not need to imprison her, Your Majesty,” Kapian said with a wry grin, fingering the sword at his side. “I would be happy to take care of her once and for all.”
“You may have one of the stones, but the other is still missing,” Magna whispered, staring at the stone in his hand. She glanced back and forth between Orion and Kapian. “I will locate it, and when I do, I will make sure that they are never together. He will rule the entire Isle of the Sea Serpent one day, as well as the other kingdoms. He will not stop until he has devoured all of you,” she declared before closing her eyes and softly muttering a string of words too faint for Jenny to hear.
“Orion!” Kapian shouted, rushing up the steps.
“Magna, stop!” Orion demand, thrusting his hand out and calling out a command.
Long tentacles shot out from around Magna and an inhuman cry of rage echoed through the room. Jenny reached one hand up to cover her ear while she wrapped her arm around Dolph’s waist and pulled him backwards when one of the black bands reached toward him. Jenny twisted and pulled Dolph down, covering him protectively with her body.
A loud scream pierced the air. Jenny’s head snapped up, and she looked frantically in front of her. Her arms tightened around Dolph when she saw the long tentacle that had struck out at them lying on the floor, writhing before it dissolved. Her lips parted when she saw the dark scorched mark left behind. Turning her head, she saw Orion and Kapian fighting the lightning-fast bands swirling around Magna. The woman no longer looked beautiful. For a brief moment, Magna’s gaze and hers locked. She saw an expression that looked confusingly like despair in the woman’s eyes before they hardened again.
“You cannot kill him, Orion,” Magna cried out.
Jenny drew in a hissing breath when the blades of Orion and Kapian’s swords passed through the stream of black bubbles where Magna had been standing. The other woman was gone. Jenny glanced down when she felt a small hand slide into hers and Dolph wiggled under her. Glancing up once more to make sure it was safe, she rolled to the side and sat up. Dolph sat up beside her and glanced around with bright, wary eyes before he t
urned back to look at her.
“Is she gone?” he asked.
Jenny’s gaze followed Orion and Kapian as they turned in a tight circle on the steps where Magna had been. The only evidence that Magna had been there was the scorch mark on the pristine limestone, but even that was beginning to fade. A movement out of the corner of her eye showed that Kelia, Coralus, and Juno had stepped out of the alcove.
“Yes, I think so,” Jenny finally replied.
“You will stay?” Dolph anxiously asked, staring up at her. “You’ll be our mother?”
“Oh, Dolph…,” Jenny murmured.
She opened her arms. Dolph quickly crawled into them. Resting her chin on his head, she glanced around the large room. How could she give him an answer? In the course of an afternoon her life had gone from grief to resolve in moving on to something out of a fairy tale. Once again, she couldn’t help but wonder if this could have been what happened to Carly.
“Jenny.”
Orion’s voice broke through her reverie, and she glanced up at him. He silently held out his hand. She released her hold on Dolph and reached up. Dolph slid off her lap and stood. A moment later, Jenny was standing in front of Orion. She swallowed at the intense, troubled expression on his face.
“What…?” Jenny started to ask.
Her voice died when Dolph stepped close to her left side while Juno came to stand next to her right. She could feel the younger boy’s hand grip the end of her shirt. Her lips parted to protest, but she knew that there was nothing she could say that would change the course she was on. Her fate had been decided the moment she followed Dolph into the water.
“I need you to say yes. Yes, for my kingdom. Yes, for my people. Yes… that you will agree to be my bride,” Orion said in a quiet voice.
“Father, you forgot to say yes to being our mother,” Juno interjected, twisting his small hand in Jenny’s shirt.
Orion’s lips twitched, and he gave Jenny a rueful smile. “And yes to being the mother of my two wayward sons who like to get into far too much mischief for their own good,” he solemnly added.