When we were seated, I began speaking but King Telophy interrupted, holding a hand up. ‘First your promise. You will not mention a word of this to a soul … until my business in Dark Faera is done. Two days should suffice.’
‘So you’re really going?’ Saying it out loud made it frighteningly real.
‘Your vow, Marla. And if you decide not to give it, I will confuse you into forgetting—which will weaken me. That’s not an attempt to persuade, just the truth.’
Seeing no other way, I gave him my vow.
He opened up like a flower in the sun. ‘I go to Dark Faera tomorrow. I would leave today, but Leif needs me tonight. The Shadow Fae will be starved of sun and desperate.’
Unease slid across my skin. ‘What will you tell Leif and Atara?’
‘That I wish for time alone.’
He looked as though he had more to add, but when I pressed him, he made to leave. So I quickly said, ‘There must be another way to free Finelle’s soul.’
‘Your own experience should inform you there is not.’ He sat back down again.
‘But what makes you think Rual will bargain with you?’
‘Believe me, I know precisely what is in the mind of the Dark King. Finelle has come often enough to inform me.’
In a last effort to change his mind, I said, ‘You vowed to me that you had no plans to bargain with Rual.’
‘At that time it was true … But Rual knew he had only to wait for my shame to get the better of me.’
I placed a hand on his arm, watched my pale fingers against flesh so similar to his son’s. ‘I don’t want you to bargain with the Dark King.’
‘Even if it means your mother will be free?’
‘She’ll only be free if you win.’
‘I know what I’m doing, Marla—you must trust me on this. Finelle will be returned to her family, soul intact.’
‘I trust you, King Telophy.’ I just don’t trust Rual.
As the last of the violet slipped from the daystones I forced my worries over King Telophy aside and crept into the forest with my Shadow Fae Detection class.
‘It is said,’ the instructor, Fian, explained from the darkness, ‘that there was a time when the Fae could sense the Shadow Fae almost as well as they can us—a gift long given over to fear and disbelief—stop.’
We came to a halt, bumping into each other.
‘Close your eyes and let your mind wander,’ Fian continued. ‘Rid yourself of fear. Danger exists, yes, but fear will block you. Reach out with your mind, let the sensations come.’
I closed my eyes, the soft golden gleam of sun-filled faeries vanishing. The night breeze was cool on my skin, the leaves softly rustling and an eerie kind of calm in the air—the kind of calm that might change at any second. ‘They’re waiting,’ I said quietly.
‘They know we are here, but keep their distance,’ someone whispered nearby.
‘It’s like wanting or need,’ another voice said.
‘Desperation,’ I added, not quite understanding how I could feel it.
‘And it’s coming closer.’ A nearby whisper I recognised as coming from Lysander. Goosebumps rose on my skin. Then from out of the darkness something grabbed me. I screamed, the sound mingling with my brother’s laughter.
‘Time to move on,’ Fian said, his voice dry.
As I thought about it later, I remembered a conversation I’d had with Leif not long after we’d met. He’d sensed Ashleigh’s bad mood from the unit beneath my family’s and told me that one day I’d be able to do the same. Now I knew he’d been right. And this gift, I realised, was the reason I’d picked up on King Telophy’s vulnerability the night before. But the question was, why was he so despairing if he was so sure he would win?
I woke with the sun the next morning and asked for breakfast to be brought to my room, taking it out on to my balcony to eat. Across the lake, life went on. Families were waking in their homes and planning their days not knowing the King they had so recently been tied to was about to gamble with his soul. When the sentry guard changed, I knew the royal family was just about finished breakfast. I waited and watched in the hope of catching King Telophy before he left.
But he came to me instead. ‘You didn’t come down to breakfast.’
‘I thought you’d want to be alone with your family.’
‘Are you not part of that?’ He lowered himself into the chair beside me.
I had to swallow the lump in my throat. ‘Are you leaving now?’
‘There is an art exhibition. Atara tells me I promised to attend … I don’t recall.’
It felt as though we were immersed in a cloud, grey and heavy and bleak. ‘Please be careful, King Telophy.’ My words came out like an eruption. I still had panic attacks about my own time with the Dark King, the journey he’d taken me on so vivid. He’d had me convinced he was Leif come to save me and if Leif hadn’t really come to save me, I’d be lost right now. As I told all this to King Telophy, the seed of an idea took hold. I was careful to hide the excitement that came with it.
‘All will be well, Marla, your mother will be returned to you whole and my son’s kingdom will be safe.’
‘I wish you good luck, Majesty.’ The seed was sprouting quickly.
‘No need for the title, it is no longer mine.’
‘I wish you good luck, Majesty and pray for your safe return.’
His eyes were soft and dark as they held mine. ‘Only one of pure heart could be as forgiving as you, Marla. I don’t think you realise the gift you’ve given me.’
I didn’t know what to say to that so we just sat in silence while my seedling grew, watered with my imagination until it had blossomed into a full-blown plan. I just needed one thing to make it happen. ‘We are family, King Telophy, aren’t we?’
‘Through my betrothed and yours it is so.’
‘Well then I want to ask you a favour. A family favour.’
‘If I can give it, it’s yours.’
‘I want telepathy with you.’
He hesitated. ‘The allegiance bond is broken—we are no longer soul-tied.’
‘I know, but we could be, couldn’t we? Without the allegiance bond I mean?’ I knew he and Atara still shared telepathy.
‘Of course. I will ever be a king.’
‘Then tie our souls together. I want to be part of that family connection you share with Leif and Atara.’
His eyes shone as he held a hand towards me. ‘Take my hand and will a portion of yourself to me.’ Our fingers wove together as I released a ribbon of my essence to him through my palm, a little of him coming into me. A moment later I heard his voice in my head. Marla.
King Telophy.
Chapter Twenty-seven
The moment I’d made the decision to go to Dark Faera ahead of King Telophy, I realised my dilemma—I could not go without confiding in my king. As a member of Leif’s Most High, I had no choice … unless I gave up my position. If I were a subject and nothing more, I didn’t have to answer to Leif.
We met in his receiving room and walked out into the garden to a seat by a fountain. He yawned and closed his eyes for a few seconds as he leaned back and stretched his legs into the sun, crossing them at the ankles. My eyes were drawn to his hands, linked across his chest—big and brown and strong. I traced the veins with my eyes, the muscle at his wrist, burning to reach out and touch. I wanted to weave my fingers into his and tell him everything I knew. I moved a fraction closer. ‘I know I’m keeping you from sleep, but there’s something I need to tell you.’
He looked my way and smiled. ‘Tell me then.’
‘I don’t want you to be hurt, or offended, or anything else like that.’
‘Now that you’ve warned me, I guarantee I won’t be any of those things.’ He uncrossed his legs and ran his hands up and down his thighs like he needed a good massage.
‘And I don’t want you to think I’m not here for you.’
He tipped his head to the side, questions in his eyes. �
��All right,’ he said slowly.
‘It’s just, I think it’s for the best … considering everything, if … Leif, I don’t think I can continue to be a member of your Most High. I don’t think I can have that kind of relationship with you.’ I held my breath.
He didn’t look upset. If anything it was the opposite—almost as though he’d been waiting for this. ‘What kind of relationship can you have with me, Marla?’ He smiled knowingly.
Argh, I have no secrets from him. Heat flooded my cheeks as I thought of the kind of relationship I wanted with him—the kind that found my limbs tangled with his every morning, that had me crying out my love for him as he took me to heaven with his body and soul. The kind where I could give to him what I’d never wanted to give anyone else. ‘I just can’t be a member of your Most High, all right? I thought you’d be surprised at least.’
I’d expected confusion, questions, perhaps even a little anger. But he was serene, and if I wasn’t mistaken, even pleased. He sat forward, his thigh pressing against my mine. I could feel the heat through the thin fabric of his pants. He closed his fingers firmly around mine before reaching across me. My breath caught as he slid his free hand beneath the narrow strap of my dress. It slipped over my shoulder, his fingers brushing my skin as he brought the top of my dress low enough to reveal the insignia inked over my heart. He pressed his palm to it, ignoring completely the stuttering pulse beneath, the way tremors shook my body.
‘You are certain this is not the relationship you want with me, Marla?’ His voice was deep and full of secrets.
I nodded, unable to speak.
And then came the burn, a blast of searing heat, light seeping from between his fingers. A cry burst from my mouth and he squeezed my hand while I bit down on my lip. Soon the pain passed, and he followed it up with essence, sweet and soft, like confusion for the flesh, like the most soothing balm on stinging, burning skin. I covered his hand with both of mine, holding it there. When it was enough, I let go and he took his hand away. I glanced down to see a patch of raw red where his mark had been. ‘In a few days you won’t know it ever was,’ he said.
I felt strangely hollow despite knowing it was for the best. Maybe because any bond with him had to be better than none at all.
‘Is it sore?’
I nodded, hoping he’d put his hand back.
‘Use alavia oil.’
‘Actually caisha is better, with just a tiny bit of calamire.’
‘You’ve become very clever with remedies.’
I remembered Hypatia using that very combination on him when his wing was almost better. ‘I have an interest.’
He went to stand, saying he needed to get some sleep, but hesitated, his eyes fixed to mine. Then he ducked his dead, his dark hair brushing my chin as he pressed a slow kiss to the wound over my heart. My pulse raced and my breathing stopped, and I just caught one corner of his mouth sneak up as he stood and walked away.
He knew exactly how I felt about him so why was he teasing me?
I couldn’t tell any of my family about my decision to go to Dark Faera. There was not one who wouldn’t either demand I didn’t go or demand to go with me. There was Jack, but as a member of the King’s Most High, he would be required to inform Leif. And who was I kidding? Jack would tell Leif regardless just to try and stop me going. Ameyah would run straight to Jack, and Claudette to Lysander. That left Linden. I hated to give him the responsibility, but there was no way I could go to Dark Faera and not tell anyone.
But before Linden, I had to see Melody.
‘I need help,’ I told my grandmother. ‘I have a performance, and I need someone who’s good with make-up. Someone who can make me look like a different person.’
Her eyebrows furrowed. ‘What’s this for?’
‘Just this thing I’m doing for the King.’ She didn’t need to know which King. ‘It’s kind of a surprise.’
She nodded knowingly. ‘Something romantic.’
‘Um, maybe,’ I said, blinking. Glancing at my daystone, I figured I only had about two hours at most before King Telophy left for Dark Faera.
When I arrived at Linden’s house, I spotted him a short distance away, sitting in dappled sunlight on a blanket of fallen leaves with a couple of friends. I walked over and they all stopped what they were doing.
‘Can we help you?’ one asked. Like the others, he held a piece of wood in one hand and a blade in the other. Small animals carved in various shades were piled between them. I bent and picked one up, turned it in my hands. The man glanced at another beside him who shrugged and returned a puzzled look.
Linden stared at me, then finally his jaw dropped. ‘Princess?’
I smiled. ‘Have you got a minute? I need to speak with you.’
He dusted himself off and told his friends he’d be back. I could feel their eyes following me as we walked to his home. ‘What is this?’ he asked, looking me up and down.
‘A disguise—a good one I think.’ When I’d looked in the mirror, I’d barely recognised myself. My skin was now the colour of hazelnuts and my hair a mass of brown and springing curls. My eyebrows had been shaped, my eyelashes and lips stained, and my cheeks plumped with prickling nater milk while vines had been painted around my arms.
Linden opened the door and ushered me inside. The room was clean and tidy, fragranced with the bowl of blossoms sitting in the open window. He went to the kitchen nook and I made myself at home in the rocking chair. ‘Linden, I need to go to Dark Faera to help a friend and I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve chosen you to check in with. I’ll be back before the daystone turns violet.’
He handed me a drink and spoke carefully. ‘That’s almost nightfall. Besides, you are Princess. You cannot go.’
‘I’m not Princess and I must go. But you don’t have to worry, I have a plan.’
‘You know you have my confidence always.’
‘I can’t tell you.’
‘But—’
‘Physically I can’t. It involves a vow.’
Linden frowned. ‘Then I will accompany you—as your guard.’
‘You have Heath to think of.’ I glanced around the room as though he might pop out from behind the furniture. ‘Where is he anyway?’
‘He’s with my wife’s parents—a note on my table and they will happily wait for my return.’
His offer was tempting. ‘Have you been to Dark Faera?’
‘Many times in my younger, bolder days—I know the rules and consequences.’
‘Three conditions,’ I told him, leaning forward and putting a stop to the rocking chair. ‘First, you come as my friend, not my guard. Second, you don’t interfere. Third, we’re friends so call me Marla.’
‘Friends don’t follow each other’s orders, Marla.’
I gave a frustrated sigh. ‘Sometimes they do, and if you want to come with me, then that’s what you have to agree to. And I’ll warn you now—there’ll be lots of watching and waiting. I know exactly what I need to do and I don’t want anything getting in the way.’
‘Agreed,’ he said with a nod.
I waited for him to write the note, then we went outside and let the sunbeams take us all the way to the edge of darkness.
Chapter Twenty-eight
Far below us flames burst from beneath the ground like dragon’s breath, giving light to the snaking rivers and rocky lands. Above, the stars shone in brilliant colours, dusted across the sky like promises of better things in this place of constant night. I’d only been to the Dark King’s castle once, but the route was fixed in my mind like the most frightening childhood memory. Over the jagged mountains of Baen’s dominion and across the plains, ridges of rock and shimmering lakes marked the way. We flew at speed, a pair of dark faeries joining us, their slippery wings, black and glistening.
‘What do you desire, faeries?’ one asked, her voice coaxing. ‘Riches, power … revenge?’
‘What can we gift to you?’ the other said. ‘A love spell, a curse? Whatever you need.�
��
We ignored them and well before Rual’s territory came into view, they dropped away, vanishing into the night like wraiths. I wasn’t surprised. If they belonged to Rual, they wouldn’t want to offend him by approaching us. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t want to risk capture.
Eventually the landscape changed to hills and valleys and wide expanses of water. Within them, the castle loomed a shade darker than the night, the windows filled with vibrant colour giving light to towers and spires. When we were near, we landed and made the rest of the way on foot, crouching down behind a rocky outcrop. I peered around the edge, my skin prickling at the sight of the patrolling guards. One I recognised—Lorcan, the dark faery who’d taken pleasure in tormenting Baen. He stood at the entry, idly picking his fingernails with a blade. Beside him, a redheaded guard I hadn’t seen before. I wondered at my chances of getting past them. I would have to be a really good actress.
Sliding my bag from my shoulder, I set it between my feet, Linden holding it open as I took out the contents—a jewelled bowl filled with a selection of the most delicious fruits and nuts from the kitchen garden. ‘Wish me luck,’ I said.
‘Wait.’ Linden caught my arm. ‘I should go with you.’
‘You can’t. I need to get access to a faery I know and she won’t help if you’re with me.’
Linden released my arm. ‘A dark faery won’t help you at all.’
‘This one will. I have leverage.’
‘You can’t trust—’
‘Look, you agreed to wait and watch. If you haven’t had a sign from me in one colour movement, you can come and find me.’
‘Agreed,’ he said after a pause. ‘And good luck.’
I thanked him and stepped out from behind the rocks, then like every soulless faery I’d seen in this place, I kept my eyes unfocused and my footsteps even as I started down the incline.
The guards straightened and fell silent. In my peripheral vision I could see them tracking me. I didn’t slow my pace, only continued to glide their way as though stuck in a dream, keeping my mind and body steady. At any moment, Lorcan might see through my disguise. But as I passed, I only heard one chuckle and say, ‘Another one?’ and the other reply, ‘Our king is gifted indeed.’
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