* * * *
Faeswyn’s eyes were wide and fearful as she watched Trikyia flip and vault over the fairies before plunging her knife into them one after the other. “Trikyia! Get out of here!”
“One more step, little girl, and I will snap her pretty little neck,” Shahlmach warned, with her long, gnarled fingers poised on either side of Faeswyn’s neck.
Faeswyn never felt such fear in her life. She knew that with a flip of the fairy’s wrist, her neck would break. Fairies were astonishingly strong. They were able to lift a man with one hand, carrying him back to their fairy holes without much effort. The strength she felt in Shahlmach’s fingers told her it was true. Dying at the hands of a fairy in the middle of the fuckin’ forest wasn’t the way she wanted to go.
Trikyia slowly paced around the clearing in front of Shahlmach and Faeswyn, holding her knife at the ready as she glanced at the fairy in front of her. She shook her head slightly at Faeswyn in answer to leaving. Faeswyn had no idea what Trikyia had in mind. All she knew was that Shahlmach was going to kill her, and the other fairy was going to kill Trikyia. She was going to die. Trikyia was fast, but a fairy was faster. She felt helpless. She thought having the ability to glamour was helpful. She thought she was safe because of it, but she’d been wrong. She’d been naïve to think she could live out on her farm with her head stuck in the sand. She’d been naïve to think that nothing could hurt her because she could glamour, when there were things in the world with the strength and power to end her life with the slightest movement from their wrist.
She never cared about what happened in the other kingdoms. It never concerned her. But something was going on if Queen Balaedras had enlisted the fairies and the witches to look for Draeis and Naihr. There had to be a reason for everything. There had to be a reason why she’d been pulled from the car by the witches and was now sitting in the dirt with a fairy’s taloned fingers wrapped around her neck.
Her parents always told her that everything happened for a reason. Her life had already been mapped out by the ancients. She was supposed to help Draedon, Theoch, and Glywyn get to Yaeltaran. They were supposed to happen upon her farm. And now they were safely in Yaeltaran where Glywyn would have the child that was foretold to unite all of the kingdoms.
She was supposed to meet and fall in love with Draeis and Naihr. They had come to the farm with the help of the ancients to meet her. There was a purpose they were all supposed to follow. What the purpose was, she didn’t know quite yet. But she did know that she would never be able to fulfill what the ancients had in store for her if she gave up. And that’s what she was doing by resigning herself to death. She was always told to never give up, never give in, and always fight until your last breath. Damn straight.
Fairies were deathly afraid of moon mint. The dark green plant that only grew at night, with dark green leaves and bright orange veins running throughout. The mint had mystical powers over fairies. It was said they fear it because it renders them powerless. The only thing was that it only grew at night, in the forest near the Baenmoch Mountains in the north. But hopefully, the fairies weren’t aware of that fact. Faeswyn didn’t know why she hadn’t thought about it until that moment. She knew it wasn’t much, but she glamoured herself to be covered in moon mint.
Shahlmach screamed, releasing Faeswyn, and quickly backed away from her. In an instant, Trikyia had rushed over to grab Shahlmach by her hair, and in the next second, she slid her knife across her throat as the last fairy had turned to stare at Faeswyn in shock. Fairy blood wasn’t red. It could be, if that’s what they wanted you to see. But most fairies had brightly colored blood like the color of their hair or their eyes. Bright blue blood flowed down the front of Shahlmach’s gown as she made a pitiful gurgling sound and lay limp on the ground.
A scream was heard from the remaining fairy. Trikyia turned her attention on her, rushing over and restraining her arms behind her to keep her from using any of her fairy magic. Faeswyn saw that it was the one that had dragged her out to the clearing. The one with the blue hair and eyes. The one Shahlmach had called Elthorian.
“You killed our queen! You will pay!” screamed the fairy.
Trikyia had pulled the fairy’s arm up high in the middle of her back, threatening to break it as Elthorian hurled insults and threats at her. With her other hand, Trikyia put her knife to Elthorian’s throat.
Faeswyn was in shock. She didn’t think Trikyia would kill the fairy. The head fairy. The fuckin’ fairy queen. But she had. It was all happening so fast. She stared down at the dead fairy lying in the dirt on the ground as her body slowly started to disintegrate in front of her eyes. When fairies died, their bodies naturally returned to the earth that they came from.
“You’re going to start talking,” Trikyia said to Elthorian. “Are you working with the witches? Why’d they take Faeswyn?”
“If you don’t let go of me… No. It doesn’t matter, little girl. You’ll be dead in minutes,” Elthorian said, laughing. “My sisters will be here soon. Hundreds of them.”
Faeswyn stared at Trikyia with wide, frightened eyes. Eight fairies were scary. Hundreds of fairies were something nightmares were made of. “We have to get out of here, Trikyia! Leave her!”
Trikyia turned a stony expression to Faeswyn, before she cut Elthorian’s throat, letting her drop to the ground with a soft thud. “Why did you do that?” yelled Faeswyn.
“Because she was dangerous. If we let her out of here alive, she would have contacted her sisters, and they would have come in here in full fairy force in mere minutes, Faeswyn.” Trikyia wiped the blade of her knife on her denims. “Do you want to deal with hundreds of fairies? Just be lucky the fairies can’t use telepathy while so close to witches, or we would be swarming with them already. They all had to die.”
Faeswyn stared down at the spot where Elthorian’s body had lain. The only thing left was the bright blue of her blood. “H-how did you find me? How did you get here?”
“Draeis made it back to the farm to tell Naihr. I happened to be there. They needed my help. I…I have certain gifts.”
“Apparently taking out fairies is one of them,” Faeswyn said, but then took Trikyia into her arms for a warm hug. “Thank you, Trikyia. You drove?”
“Seriously? I’m fifteen, Faeswyn. Draeis drove. He and Naihr are waiting up on that hill.” Trikyia pointed up to the left. “I thought it best if they didn’t come down to give the fairies a chance to entrance them.” She took out the small TCD from her pocket, placing it into her ear. “You can come down now. Faeswyn’s safe and the fairies are dead, but we need to get out of here before more show up. What? Um… Okay.”
Trikyia stared at Faeswyn. “What’s wrong?” Faeswyn asked.
“They said to hold on. That they’re coming down. They want to question the witches.” They both turned toward the witches’ hut to stare at the darkened hole crisscrossed with branches and sticks trying to pass as a door.
Faeswyn wanted to go home. She wanted Draeis and Naihr and home, but she knew it wouldn’t be that simple. Something inside of her told her that it wasn’t over. Call it a feeling, or call it intuition, but it didn’t feel over. Not yet.
Chapter Fourteen
Balaedras opened her door to see Gaeldos and his three guards there. “Well, that’s a change. You actually rang my doorbell instead of barging in. Thank you, but you can leave your guards outside. This is to be a private conversation, Gaeldos.”
Gaeldos seemed wary at first, but then nodded, giving the order for his guards to remain outside. Balaedras stood aside as he walked in, closing the door behind her. Gaeldos walked over to the bar and the onan wine she always had fully stocked.
“So,” he said, taking his glass over to sit on her sofa. “What is this plan you have to deal with the Draedon and Theoch situation? I admit, you were right. I should have believed you about them being alive. But now that we know where they are, we definitely have to do something about them.”
“Yes, we do,” sh
e said. She watched him drink his wine and get up to replenish his glass. Soon, she thought. She had no intention of discussing her plans with him. They didn’t concern him. He sat back on the sofa leisurely drinking his onan. She smiled slightly, seeing the confused look on his face. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
“Good,” she said to him as she stood looking down at him. She took his glass from his clutched hand. “I was beginning to wonder if your latest whore was wrong. You do pick the most gossipy women to fuck, Gaeldos. I always thought that part of being a king, or for that fact, a queen’s concubine, required discretion. Kilsthorlith is mouthy.” She laughed at what she had said. “But I suppose that’s why she’s your concubine, huh? She has a good mouth?”
She sat down in one of her oversized chairs next to where Gaeldos was sitting on her sofa. “You can’t speak or move. I know you’re thinking they’ll do an autopsy and find thrihn cat toxin in your system. They won’t. Kilsthorlith was letting her lips flap about how she’d set up a romantic night for the two of you with onan wine, soft music, and cullen flower to smoke. You told her you were deathly allergic to cullen flower. Deathly.” She nodded. “That’s not a word that should be thrown around lightly. So I asked my physician and it’s true. Some people can die from cullen flower if they’re allergic. They become paralyzed, unable to speak or move until the flowers’ agents start to paralyze other parts of the body. The heart and lungs of course. But your central nervous system also. And, by chance, your physician told me that you are part of a percentage of people that is allergic to not only one part, but all parts of the flower. It makes you unusually susceptible. Do you know how happy that made me, Gaeldos? Oh wait…” she said with a frown. “Maybe I should call you by your given name, and not by the name you invented, huh? Goag.”
Gaeldos struggled to make a sound but remained silent. His eyes darted around the room, as if he were looking for help where there was none. Balaedras grabbed a table napkin lying beside her, and leaned over to wipe the spittle from Gaeldos’ mouth.
“How perfectly un-kingly it is to see you drool like an infant,” she said with a laugh. “In five minutes, your heart will stop.” She stood from the chair, and started to undress. Untying the silken robe she was wearing, she stood naked in front of him. “The royal coroner will attest to you having a massive heart attack brought on by rigorous sex. Believe me,” she said as she straddled his groin. “The last thing I want is to have any part of you touching me, but sacrifices must be made.”
She unfastened his pants and pulled his hardened cock out. “Well, look at that. It’s a side effect of your allergic reaction. Amazing, huh? I bet you haven’t had a hard-on like that, even with your penile transplant, for years. Too bad you won’t be alive to remember this. Just know that I had to do this, Gaeldos.” She grimaced at him as she slid his penis inside of her. “You are a liability to my reign. Yes, my reign, Gaeldos. You aren’t strong enough to rule Teveoch. Everyone knows of your perversions and your weakness, specifically for Mocmoran women, and soon they’ll know about your lies. I have to distance myself from what is about to be revealed. I’ll mourn,” she said, moving on top of him. “Some, at least. Okay, I’ll mourn as much as is needed to show respect from the loving queen. But the people needed you to die, Gaeldos. I already have the kingdoms of Tulor and Jroan behind me. Oh, yes, they know. This is my plan, and you’re going to laugh when you hear it.”
She looked pitifully down at Gaeldos, feeling his semen spurt inside of her. “Oh, I didn’t even notice that for a second.” She got off of him, taking the gold table napkin she’d used to wipe his mouth and wiped between her legs. “I need proof that the queen had been intimate with her husband. Does the implant make you cum like this all the time? No matter. But yes, you’re foolish and stupid. You were more concerned with your cock than with uniting the kingdoms. I won’t be.”
She grabbed her robe and tied it back around her body. “The kingdoms of Valwithia, Yaeltaran, Balknae, and Zinvia are strong. It will take finesse and planning to conquer them. Those are traits that you lack, Gaeldos. You have to think in terms of strategy. You could never do that, and this kingdom has suffered under your leadership because of it. So I’ve come up with the most glorious plan that will not only have the people rallying around their queen, but it will also have the other kingdoms joining our fight. Oh, and that stupid story that’s supposed to be foretold by the ancients? Seriously? A true ruler of Ai that will take Ai out of all of the wars? I don’t give a fuck about any ancients. It’s a child’s story that holds no merit. Ai will never have peace because I’m going to make sure of it. You must have your eye on the bigger prize, Gaeldos. Of course I want to rule Teveoch, but it’s more than that. I’ll do it, but just under the surface, like a spider creeping up to snatch its prey. I’ll have control of Ai. And before anyone sees it coming…”
She began to frown, making tears form in her eyes. They ran down her face in wet lines. She stared at Gaeldos as he slumped over with his eyes fixed on the ceiling. Dead. “I will be the queen of all Oaes.” She rumpled her robe and then screamed. The king’s guards ran into the room as Balaedras launched herself into the performance of a lifetime.
* * * *
Faeswyn stood embracing both Naihr and Draeis as they all but shrouded her with their bodies. Trikyia could be heard coughing behind them, trying to interrupt their hug-fest. Faeswyn knew she was becoming impatient, but she’d thought she was going to be killed by the fairies. It had come so close that she had resigned herself to death. So seeing Draeis and Naihr running down the hill toward her, all she wanted to do was have them envelope her.
“Hey, guys?” said Trikyia. “I don’t want to interrupt, but we should really get the hell out of here. I don’t think the fairies were able to notify their sisters telepathically from here, but I can’t be a hundred percent sure. I mean, maybe the witches will notify them. Who knows, huh?”
Draeis pulled away from embracing Faeswyn. “Exactly. That’s why I want to question the witches.”
“What?” asked Faeswyn. “I’m with Trikyia. Let’s just get the hell out of here.”
Naihr glanced over at Draeis, and then back to Faeswyn and Trikyia. “I agree with Draeis. We have no idea why the witches and fairies were working together.”
Faeswyn suddenly remembered one of the fairies mentioning Queen Balaedras. “They were working with Balaedras. I heard one of the fairies saying something like, ‘Balaedras will probably pay us for killing the witches,’ or something to that affect.”
Naihr nodded. “Then let’s see what they know.”
“We should leave,” Trikyia said impatiently.
Draeis walked over to Trikyia. “Three minutes. If they say nothing of interest, we leave.”
“We kill them and then we leave,” Trikyia reiterated.
Faeswyn began shaking her head. “I can understand why you killed the fairies, but the witches are stupid. I could have gotten away from them, if it were just them. I don’t see why we have to kill them.”
Trikyia stared at Faeswyn as if she were a small child. “Because they kidnapped you. Because they’re working with the fairies. Because they kill people. Because they’re mistrustful. Because—”
“I get it, Trikyia,” Faeswyn interrupted. “I just think there’s been enough death…already.”
Draeis walk over to stand several feet in front of the witches’ hut. “Why were you working with the fairies?” he asked the witches inside.
“Come inside and we will tell you, young man,” said a voice coming from within the hut.
Faeswyn walked over to stand beside Draeis. “I want to speak with the witch called Maelanthia.” She glanced up at Draeis. “She’s the leader, head witch, person, I think.”
“I am Maelanthia.” The witch standing in the opening of the door was the same grandmotherly older woman Faeswyn had seen with the gray hair piled on top of her head. “And you are the woman we took from the old car. You should be dead.”
&n
bsp; “She should be dead, Maelanthia,” another witch said inside.
“Happy to disappoint you,” Faeswyn said. “Why were you working with the fairies?”
“Come inside and we will tell you,” said Maelanthia with a sweet smile on her face.
“Uh, no. We won’t, but you and your sisters can come out here and talk to us,” Draeis said.
“Can we do that, Maelanthia?” the other witch asked.
Maelanthia laughed, momentarily losing control of her form and showing the grayish hag with wild hair moving about her head. She quickly took control, and Faeswyn saw the grandmotherly looking figure as before. “You know a lot about the witches’ ways, don’t you, Faeswyn? That’s what those men called you. We listened. We always listen.”
“Tell us what the fairies were up to.”
“Come inside,” said a voice.
“Yes, tell them to come inside, Maelanthia,” said another voice.
“Ugh! I’m sick of this,” Trikyia groaned. “I say we burn them in their hut and get the hell out of here!”
“Burn?” Maelanthia yelled out. “No, no. No fire. Fire kills. No fire! Yes, we were working with the fairies, but we had no choice.”
“We had no choice. It was the queen,” the other voice said.
“Drothahnia is right. We had no choice. The queen threatened us. She did,” Maelanthia said, bobbing her head in agreement.
“What is she planning?” Naihr asked as he walked over to stand with Draeis and Faeswyn.
There was laughter heard inside. Maelanthia started to laugh with them. “She is planning a war. A war between the humans of Teveoch and the fairies. Not the witches. We are not part of this agreement. We were only to grab the man called Draeis, but you are diseased,” she said, pointing a gnarled finger at him. “No plan.”
“No plan,” echoed another voice.
“Tell them about the king, Maelanthia. That is truly a good plan. Is it not?”
Faeswyn [The Maidens of Mocmoran 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 13