Broken Kingdom (The Winter Court Chronicles Book 2)

by Stephany Wallace

  “I would never leave you alone.” She promised and we jumped when the door abruptly swung open.

  “Time to go see the king,” the guard said, walking purposefully towards me. He gripped my arm, dragging me off the bed.

  “What the hell are you doing?!” I protested, repressing a whimper at the pressure under his grip, he was cutting off my circulation while he hauled me out. “I can walk on my own.”

  “Let her go!” Estharis said, outraged, while she tried to pull the man off me. The second guard pushed her out of the way, and she hit the wall, falling.

  “No!” I stared at her, horrified, trying to help her, but the guard whirled me around, getting in my face.

  “I would watch my tongue if I were you. I don’t know what the hell happened before, but I know you are no longer the king’s counselor. You have no power around here. You are a prisoner now, so shut up and do as you are told.” He sneered.

  Oh, no. No, no, no. He had not just said that to me. My throat tingled as I stared into his eyes, leaning closer until our noses touched. “Get. Your hands. Off. Me!” I yelled, letting my ability take over. The sonic boom hurled him back in the air, and his back hit the window frame, almost causing him to fall out of it.

  I noticed the second guard had also fallen against the door and turned to find Estharis and Lilith holding onto each other on the floor. “Are you okay?” I asked worriedly. I had snapped and forgotten I could hurt them too. They seemed a bit dizzy but there was no blood in their ears, for which I was grateful.

  The second guard held his head as the man that had grabbed me got up, and began to approach. He unsheathed his sword, sneering at me, and my eyes went to the steaming tub of water to his left—it was still boiling, thanks to the heating spell used by Lilith. I didn’t want to hurt him, but I would do anything to stop him from hurting us.

  I was a Water Faery, after all.

  Thanks to my grandmother’s legacy, I had water and sound manipulation. Unlike Kyr and his brothers, I didn’t hold more than one ability. Instead, my ability was to manipulate both sound and water together or apart, doing with them what I pleased. In a swift movement, I raised my right hand, lifting the heated water, and pushed it towards him. I watched the spheres—that might as well have been blazing bombs—fly and connect with his body, burning him. He fell on his knees, screaming in pain.

  I whirled towards the other guard before he could attack. “You will not place a finger on me!” I ordered, and a different kind of tingling rushed through me. I gasped—my fingers flying to my forehead and touching my new royal markings—while the man’s eyes briefly glowed and he stopped his advance.

  “Did you just—” Estharis words were lost as she walked towards me. We stared at the man in shock.

  “She compelled him with a royal command,” Lilith finished for her, stunned.

  “I…” I couldn’t speak. I looked at the guard and swallowed as he stared at me expectant. “Step away from me,” I ordered again, and he took three steps back, although he seemed confused as to how I was doing this. He and me both.

  “You are a princess,” Estharis added. “Whatever was blocking your ability is gone. You can command the guards.”

  I looked at her as the wheels in my head began to spin. Turning around; my gaze roamed the room while my pulse raced, and determination claimed every inch of me. I took Estharis’ hand. “Come on, we are getting out of here.” I held my long skirt and rushed towards the door.

  “What are you doing? You can’t leave.” The guard protested while his partner lay unconscious on the floor. Blisters had formed on his scorched skin.

  I looked at him. “Oh yes we can, and you are going to help us. Open the door and take out your sword. You are going to lead us out of here, and defend us from anyone who tries to stop us. You are helping us escape, so move!”

  The guard blinked, his eyes briefly glowing, and raised his sword, leading the way.

  We ran after him down the corridors, floor after floor as we tried to escape, no one had gotten in our way yet. My gaze connected with Estharis’ and we smiled rushing towards our freedom. She seemed tired—she was an elderly woman, by thousands of years beyond me—but she was keeping up with us, and it was too late to turn back now. We had to leave the castle to be safe, the Dark King would be enraged once he found out we left and I feared what he could do to Estharis.

  We rounded the corner to the next floor and my hope came crashing down. The king stood there with five of his royal guards, and a sinister smile on his lips. A shiver ran down my spine. I knew that smile.

  “So you can command my people now. Impressive.” The king said stepping forward, his hands clasped behind his back. “It’s such a shame that your disgusting desire to be with your own brother, is what caused you to break the spell my sorcerer placed on you as a baby.”

  “Kyr is not my brother!” The pain returned with each word. “He’s my Fated.”

  King Laeroth sighed, disappointed, and his gaze went to the guard I had compelled. “Kill him.”

  “No!” I moved closer but Estharis’ hands held me back. “Please, don’t hurt him! It wasn’t his fault, I forced him to do this.” As the last word left my lips the man’s eyes lost their light as he looked at me. His body fell to the ground, a sword protruding from his chest. “No,” I whispered dismayed, my eyes tearing up. It was my fault he was dead.

  “You are not going anywhere, daughter.”

  I swallowed, stepping back while his left hand lifted and the guards moved towards us. I called on my ability once again, but before I could react the cold feeling of the gold engulfed my wrists, and the blocking bangles were placed on me.

  “Did you really think I wouldn’t hear you scream?” he chuckled, half amused. “Take them back to the tower.”

  *

  My eyes roamed the now familiar room, while Estharis and I were thrust inside it. She tripped on the skirt of her gown and fell on her knees. I rushed to help her but the guards lifted me off my feet, as though I weighed nothing.

  “What are you doing? Let me go!” I roared, but the fear grew in me while they took me to the bed. I kicked them to no avail. They dropped me on the mattress, holding me down.

  The king stood behind us while two more guards grabbed Estharis and pulled her up, forcing her onto the corner chair. “You will not help her remove her binds,” King Laeroth ordered her, and I watched as the magic of his command fell over her. Tears shone in her eyes shone as she nodded. “You shan’t help her escape, or even stand from that chair unless I order it so.”

  Binds? I frowned but my eyes immediately widened as the men took ropes from their belts and pulled on my hands and feet, tying them to the corner posts of the small bed. “No, please! There is no need to do this. I won’t try to escape again. I promise.” I thrashed, against the bed but it was all in vain.

  The king moved closer and finally removed his other hand from behind his back. When he did, panic travelled through me. He held what seemed like a muzzle in his hand, but it had an odd, rubbery extension on it that resembled a tongue, and it softly glowed with the magic it possessed.

  I shook my head pulling at my binds. “Please don’t.” I begged.

  “I had our sorcerer make this after your ability manifested it self.” His eyes tinged with sadness returning to me. “I truly hoped I would never have to use it, but I don’t trust you anymore.”

  “No. My king, please!” My words went on deaf ears as he handed the gag to his guard, and the man began to approach me. “Don’t do this, please. Don’t do this!”

  I jerked harshly against the bed but the men around me held me down while Estharis screamed at them to leave me alone. The purest terror I had ever felt captured every inch of me, when the guard gripped my jaw and forced my mouth open. I screamed as loudly as I could but my ability was no longer within my reach. Instead, tears sprung to my eyes as I felt the cold rubbery tongue of the custom muzzle, slide into my mouth. It filled the space between my tongue and
hard palate, almost touching my throat, preventing me from speaking at all. My gag reflex made my throat constrict, it felt like I was choking. I desperately tried to breathe, but my vision was completely clouded by tears. Panic had me in its clutches. The men secured the straps of the muzzle tightly behind my head and neck, and moved away from me.

  “The more you fight it, the more uncomfortable it will become, and you will choke.” The king informed, walking closer. His hand reached my forehead and he caressed it. “You must relax and accept it as part of you, then it shan’t hurt you.”

  I blinked, forcing the tears to fall and focused on King Laeroth’s eyes as he gazed at me, pained. “You made me do this, daughter.” He whirled around, and walked out of the room. The guards followed him.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!” Estharis cried from the chair, unable to move and help me, while my world once again ripped apart.

  I tried to fight the fear and calm myself, accepting the gag the king had put on me, but the pain was too great. I attempted to take a deep breath as I stared at the ceiling and the tears fell freely from my eyes—tears I didn’t think I had.

  “Think of him, my child. Of the moments you spent together, his love… it will help you.” Estharis suggested in between sobs, seeing no other way to aid me.

  I slowly nodded, forcing myself to relax, and closed my eyes for a moment. When I opened them again, he was here. Kyr was looking at me, eyes filled with love as he whispered that he loved me.

  I knew it wasn’t true. I knew he wasn’t really here, but I let myself be dragged into the illusion. Kyr wrapped his arms around me and held me close, caressing my cheek with his thumb as his lips gently closed over mine.

  “We’ll be together soon, my queen. I swear it… I love you.”

  My eyelids lifted, feeling the tears soak the pillow under my head, and I clung to the images of the time I spent in his arms. He was the only one who could help me through this.

  My Kyr, my king, my love.

  KYR

  *

  I let the illusion slowly disappear from Avrielle’s mind, and felt the energy return to me.

  A part of me tore without her.

  I still wasn’t sure how I had accomplished this. Other than with Avra’s guidance, I had never been able to connect to someone’s mind without standing in the same room, right across from them. My hands still held me to the ice wall that separated us. A form of prison of my own, that for some unknown reason I needed to endure.

  “Were you able to reach her?” Avra’s voice brought me out of my concentration.

  I nodded, and fought to rein in my emotions. “He did something to her. I don’t know how, but I can now feel the sheer terror in her as though it were my own.”

  “The more you train, the stronger you’ll become, my prince, and the more you’ll be able to help her. For now, at least you have learned to reach her mind. You’ll be able to ease her sorrow, until she is by your side once again. The bond that ties you to her is strong.”

  I whirled around, fists trembling. “You said he wouldn’t hurt her!” I roared, stepping closer to the white dragon. “You assured me Avrielle was safe!”

  He sighed sitting down, and staring at me with his startling cobalt blue eyes. “I know what you are feeling right now, but you have to trust me, I—”

  “Trust you?” I asked perplexed, while I stalked towards him. “You want me to trust you when you lied to me my whole life, just like they did!”

  Avra straightened to his full height, getting up. “I have never lied to you.”

  I chuckled humorlessly. “You knew the king wasn’t my father and you never told me. What do you call that, if not lying?”

  “It was not yet time for you to learn that truth.”

  “Oh, but this is?”

  “There is a reason behind everything we’ve done. You’ll see that one day. You had to be raised as the Prince of the Winter Court, in a position of power that would secure your place as a ruler.”

  I shook my head, incredulous. “Do you know who my father is?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then tell me.”

  “It is not yet time for you to learn that.”

  “Why? Because it’s not convenient for you? I’m nothing but a pawn for all of you, aren’t I? That’s all I’ve ever been. The king used me my whole life for whatever he desired, and now you are doing it too.”

  “Do not compare me to Laeroth!” Avra roared, and I was thrown back with the force of his breath, rolling on the floor. Icicles formed all around the cave as I pulled myself up, my eyes returned to him. “You insolent, entitled, overindulged child.” He moved towards me slowly, blue flames igniting in his eyes. “I am Avra, Dragon Lord of this realm and all others, and you will show me respect!”

  He stomped on the ground, causing the cave to quake. I staggered back, crashing against the wall. Ragged breaths left me, as I looked at him, ashamed and hurt.

  “You have no idea of everything I have done for you, what I have suffered and lost so that you could become the man that stands before me. So I could ensure your right to rule. You have no notion of the risks the people around you have taken, or even of what your own mother sacrificed for you. You couldn’t possibly imagine the pain I have carried within me for the last ten thousand years of my life, because you think of no one but yourself!”

  He stepped closer and I had to strain my neck to look at him. I panted as I held myself to the wall.

  “Whether you like it or not you have a destiny, one bigger than you and me or anyone else. The future of the realm itself lies in your hands, and I will see to it that you carry out your purpose, one way or another. Furthermore, you will stop being an ignorant selfish child, even if I have to beat it out of you!”

  Avra’s chest rose and fell sharply as he stared me down, reminding me for a moment of when Mother used to scold me as a child. He huffed and turned around, returning to his place and sitting once more. The fire had died in his eyes and as he looked at me again, something told me he regretted losing his temper.

  My head cleared in turn and I realized how far I had gone. “Please forgive me, my lord. You are right. But you have to realize how difficult this is for me. I don’t understand what is happening. My whole life has been a lie and—”

  “That is not true.” He interrupted. “Your mother and everything you’ve shared with her has been real. Your brothers and their devotion to you is real, the duty you feel in your heart for your kingdom is true. Your intentions have always been virtuous, although his darkness seeped into you, clouding your judgment and giving you false ideals. The bond you share with your fated is genuine and powerful.”

  Avra lowered his arms, resting his elbows on the ground.

  “I am real. No matter what you call me, Avra, Dragon Lord, my lord… I have always been true to you. I’ve always been here for you Kyr, when loneliness clawed at you, when confusion clouded your judgment, and when the ire he instilled in you invaded your mind and soul. I have always protected you, and I will continue to do so until my body disappears and I join my fallen family among the stars. That is the only thing you need to understand right now.”

  His words slowly filled the hole inside me. I knew them to be true. Ever since Mother first brought me here I had always come to Avra when I needed him. This place had been my refuge in a way. He had been my refuge. I slowly nodded and dragged my hands down my face. I couldn’t let fear cloud my judgment now. I had always trusted him and he had never failed me. Even now, he was by my side, and I could feel the urgency in his words. This destiny he spoke of, was important to him. No matter what I was going through, I couldn’t fail him.

  I stepped closer, and lifted my arms, silently calling him to me. I suddenly felt like a child, looking for comfort. Avra lowered his head until his forehead pressed against mine, my hands reached for the small horns of his crown and I held them as the magic hummed between us. A new feeling suddenly reached me, and I swore that for a blink of a moment
I was able to feel his emotions, just as he felt mine. He was gone before I could confirm it, breaking the contact, but the excruciating sorrow I had experienced remained inside me. It mixed with mine.

  “You will never be a pawn, my prince. You are most important to me.” The Dragon Lord vowed and turned around, walking further into the cave. “Continue your training,” he ordered, sitting in the shadows where I could no longer see his eyes.

  I nodded, as my heartbeat slowed, and my breathing returned to normal. My eyelids closed, feeling the energy of my ability buzz through me. I tried to concentrate, but the terror Avrielle had felt returned to me. I pushed it aside, I knew that Kah was out there, looking for her, and for now that had to be good enough. I briefly let my energy take over as I searched for her again, and found her sleeping. Her mind was still distressed but asleep.

  Taking a deep breath, I pushed the power out of me like Avra had taught me in the past few days, causing a soft whoosh as it traveled outwards.

  “Again.” He ordered.

  I took a moment to gather myself and did it over and over, as many times as he asked.

  “Reach for the center of you, my prince. Your core, the source of your essence, and push it out of you, just like when you broke the ice wall, but without using anger to tap into it. It must be a clean connection, without a trace of emotion.”

  I tried again and the whoosh came but the energy fizzled shortly after it left me. I grunted, frustration clawing at me. “If I just knew what I’m supposed to do with it, maybe I could visualize it and make it happen.”

  Avra let out a heavy breath. “It’s not something I can explain. It is something you feel.” He paused for a few moments, and I wondered if he had left me here and entered the temple. “You need to look at the power you hold differently than you have until now. It is not something you wield; it is a living, thriving force that makes you who you are. Not something you call onto when you need it, but a part of you. Your power is a superior, all-encompassing ability. Yet, you have only tapped into Telekinesis, Invincibility and Illusion Manipulation as though they are parlor tricks.”