'The patrols met and discussed the three, for no one wanted them in their lands, and all had agreed the three must die. They couldn't starve them out; it was one of the things they realized first about the three, having watched them go years and years without nourishment. They couldn't just injure them either; anything they threw at them was either absorbed, subdued or destroyed. Animals and gargoyles, however, were their best food source, for they were full of life.
'Time passed and no strategy for the trio's demise was found. The three declared all they wanted was to find the way back to their planet, that they would gladly leave if they could find it. They expressed their sorrow about killing the planet so thoroughly, explained as best as they understood how the atrocity occurred.
'They were abstract of energy, sentient though unable to manifest. They believed that because their planet had no form, neither did any of its inhabitants. It came to speculation that the three acted as energy vacuums, that whatever source of energy came near one would instantly be absorbed. It made sense, but it did not negate the fact that life did not exist around them.
'One day, one of the patrols, we will call him patrol number one, realized that having the three for allies was equivalent to an assured victory against all his enemies, and so decided to approach the trio, to become friendly with one of them. It was this same patrol who realized the three could control their urge to absorb, who helped them hone the skill into perfection. He helped them to contain themselves, brought them animals so they could practice.” Oberon's eyes hardened, his jaw clenched for a moment.
“This same patrol broke the first rule agreed upon and spoke about other planets, about the life and vitality that existed in each of them.
'Slowly, they learned control, they gave each other names.” Oberon paused in front of the last drawing, and I glanced at it. The sky was dark, the vibrant planets orbiting it. Hints of a green forest showed at the edges below, a faraway peak appeared at the corner.
On the sky was a vague shape of wings, massive and mysterious. At the ground stood three, a woman with dark flowing hair and two men. All three had their backs turned, but I recognized Zantry, and presumed the woman to be Arianna, and by deduction, the third to be Remo, since he seemed different, muscular, taller, his hair a golden color instead of white.
“The woman called herself Arianna,” Oberon said, studying the cascade of dark, shining hair on a trim build. In the drawing she was almost as tall as Zantry.
“She was a beautiful one,” Oberon continued, oblivious of my scrutiny. “Full of joy and curiosity, sympathy for the land and sorrow for what they destroyed.” I blinked, surprised, and watched as the hands of the woman moved, palms raised in supplication. “She was ambitious, loving, strong willed. Because she wanted to see more of the other lands, she learned control faster, better. She taught her companions the same, all while the patrol watched, patient.
'When he brought a creature from deep within the caves to the surface, Arianna didn't kill it. But her companion, Zantry, did. They weren't ready yet.”
“The guest from the throne room.” I said, because it was expected.
“Ay. The third, whom you already met, called himself Remo Drammen.”
I traced a finger over Remo's figure, half expecting it to turn around. He was the tallest of the three.
“He looks different here,” I murmured.
“Ay. Corruption will do that.”
I let my hand drop and turned to Oberon. “Why do you tell me all this?” I asked, the answer something I couldn't fathom. Zantry had told me the Sidhe were self-serving and I believed him. Although it seemed like this information was being freely given, I had this feeling Oberon was on a mission. If talking about how the trio came to be would further his purposes, then I should at least know what they were.
Except, the moment the question left my lips, he closed up and moved to the edge of the archway where a pixie waited. “Bennty will see you to your room. If you need anything, she can provide it for you.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
In the morning, Bennty woke me from a restless sleep where nebulous clouds of energy chased me across a dead land, trying to eat me alive. I bolted upright, sending the pixie spiraling across the room with a high-pitched shriek.
“Sorry,” I mumbled.
We went through the same ritual as yesterday, with Bennty flitting back and forth between the foot of the bed and my face. This time I found a long skirt and a sleeveless blouse, the color shifting between peach and plum.
“Aren't you too bossy for such a tiny thing?” I muttered, and Bennty let out a string of high pitched noise, her arms moving around, pointing at me and the clothes at the foot of the bed.
Like the dress from last night, the cloth was made of a material I'd never seen before, thin yet warm, and would probably stay that way. I donned both under the watchful eyes of the pixie, and slipped on bejeweled satin shoes she passed. When I was done, Bennty began working on my hair, twisting it into a simple bun.
The throne room was empty of milling courtiers, save for the queen, Lee, Oberon and, of course, their guest of honor, Zantry, sitting beside a smug-looking Lee. They were all seated on colorful thick cushions on an alcove beside the dais. Brightly-hued tapestries fluttered in a breeze I again couldn't feel, and the scent of lemon verbena was fresh in the air.
With the satin shoes on, my approach was silent, though my presence didn't go unnoticed. The moment I entered the room through a side door, escorted by Drozelle and Crozelle, everyone stopped talking and glanced at me.
My stomach, already jittery, flipped and flopped and fell with a gurgling moan.
Zantry's eyes met mine with interest, but there was no recognition there. For a moment I feared he had forgotten all about me, that arriving in this land had a sudden bolt of amnesia going over him. And then I met Queen Titania's unforgiving eyes, just for a brief second, and I forgot all about him, my steps faltered, my legs almost buckling beneath my weight.
And we hadn't even started anything.
Determined to reach the group without needing to crawl, I focused my eyes at the opposite tapestry and thought about fun times with Vicky. I felt a sense of contentment that was Frizz's, realized he was taking comfort from my thoughts as well.
I came to a stop before the group and Queen Titania, and lowered my head while Crozelle and Drozelle knelt.
“Your highness.” I said with a voice stronger than yesterdays.
Queen Titania tilted her chin upward in acknowledgement before motioning to the low colored cushion arranged across from her. “Sit and we shall speak.”
I sat, grateful that my rubbery legs wouldn't have to support me through whatever would come next.
A platter of food appeared in front of me and startled a squeak of terror from my lips.
“Break your fast.” Queen Titania ordered.
I looked down at the array of exotic fruits, colored puffs, mini clouds and what seemed like a variety of cheese cubes. I chose a slice of apple, one of the few things on the platter that I actually recognized. A few feet in front of me, Oberon spoke something to Titania that made her frown. Beside me and to the front, lee was murmuring something in Zantry's ears that made his lips twitch, his eyes glitter. Her hand rested high on his thigh, an improper, intimate gesture that had an unexpected pang of jealousy rattling in my chest.
I didn't like the way he was looking at her.
The way she was looking at him.
I liked even less my possessive thoughts.
Drozelle leaned close to my ear. “He is very handsome, is he not?”
I shrugged, tampering down on the jealousy as best as possible. Could she sense it?
“Back a time, there would be challenges among our finest courtiers for the privilege of his private company,” she went on, and my eyes flew to Zantry, found him watching me with curiosity.
I looked down at the food, picked a random cube of yellow cheese. It was tangy and a little sour, with a bitter,
faint taste at the end. I picked another one, this one lighter in color. When I felt eyes on me, I expected it to be Zantry's, but it was Titania's, her cold, turquoise eyes hinting at an unpleasant stream of thought.
Whatever newfound appetite I had just found, pooft away like smoke in the wind.
I leaned away from the platter, saying a polite “thank you” to her chin. The platter disappeared, and no sooner was it gone then an image full of shifting colors appeared in its place. It wasn't like a 3D image, but more like a window had opened. As if the projection had been a sign, Crozelle and Drozelle stood at the same time, bowed to their queen and exited the throne room without a sound. I barely paid any attention to their departure, riveted instead at the scene ahead.
The image zoomed in, and the colors took shape, forming a land so green, full of hills and trees, roaming animals, strange, colorful birds. Their sound was exotic, exquisite, joyful to hear. The scent of pine and verdant things filled the room, accompanied by an undertone of something moist. When the image shifted to an azure blue ocean, so clear you could see the creatures that moved within the water, the humid scent of briny, salty air replaced the green, the sound of lapping waves soothing my nerves. The image kept shifting, showing the edge of an island, the peaks of tall, imperious mountains, the beauty of waterfalls and tree covered hillsides, lush and green and yellow and flowers of every color I could possibly imagine. The perfume of orange blossoms and roses permeated the room, a sweet, citrusy combination that blended perfectly. A village was shown next, and the Seelie folk roamed on the land, their ruckus laughter joyful, their words nothing I could understand. Some were clearly merchants, their carts brimming with materials and other things I couldn't identify; some were dressed in long dresses, some in strange customs and headdresses. All wore vibrant colors, with not a single black to be seen. Animals, both familiar and strange, roamed freely among the fee, some carried like babies around. It was a land of colors, of dashing animals, of life, of blooming energy. Strange structures that spiraled upward like horns dotted the place, some with green intervals, others standing side by side. The structures, like everything else, were full of colors and glitters, with the occasional shadow of some large bird flying by.
“There is a place in my land that is no longer as beautiful, as vibrant as it should be.” Queen Titania spoke, her voice lilting like background music to the image.
Zantry sat forward, his gaze focused on the projection.
“Show me,” he demanded.
Queen Titania's eyes flared at the command, but the image fast-forwarded as if recorded by a fast flying thing. It showed first the edges of a dark, dead patch of land, made more pronounced by the greenery bordering it. Darkness took over, showing acres and acres of death, tree and animal husks, parched, cracked soil … like in the Low Lands, this one more devastating for the beauty and tranquility I had just seen.
“Prior to this blasphemy, there were no unusual or abnormal frequencies near this land.” Titania spoke now in a subdued tone, as if she were afraid to call the attention of the darkness. “One moment green and life were abundant, the next death reigned upon my land.” She waved a tight fist at the image, dispelling the illusion as easily as she'd conjured it.
“It's growing?” Zantry asked, eyebrows knitting.
“There is a shift in energy, sometimes dramatic, sometimes subtle, and the shadows expand. We have not yet detected for certain where it directs, but aye, it is growing.”
Zantry leaned back, his eyes devoid of emotion. “What about patrol watch? Have you set any?”
Queen Titania's jaws clenched, but it was Lee who answered. “The animals that are unfortunate to cross into the zone are caught in some sort of trance. If they stay long enough, they perish slowly.”
He glanced at Lee, his focus sharp and intent. “I'll assume you've measured the frequency around this patch. Does it fluctuate?”
“It's not stable. During day time it's constant, but later it fractures, a dramatic increase at two opposite points, while it drops at another, seemingly at random. The instability turns chaotic, but it does not last for long.”
“How frequent?”
“Too frequent,” Queen Titania replied, her eyes tight with anger. “Every time the sun meets the horizon, an imbalance takes place deep in the earth, and energy begins to roil and drop, while above surface it fractures and rises before disappearing without a trace. It goes on until the sun breaks the horizon once more. By the time the sun is high above the castle, the patch has grown in size and the energy surrounding this deathtrap has lowered considerably. As the sun travels west, the energy keeps re-charging, only to fracture once more when the sun meets the horizon.”
Zantry frowned at the far wall, his eyes distant.
“We believe that in the middle of the patch is a vortex, a slither that opens during nightfall,” Lee said.
“Can you show where the middle is?” Zantry asked Titania.
“Nay, it's too discordant for projections, but we calculate the midpoint by the circumference of the dead patch. We cannot get near enough to it to see what is there, and I cannot send my awareness that deep without feeling the discordance deep in my bones. Even from afar, I can feel it, like a sickness, a plague that mutates and feeds from the land.” Titania's posture was stiff, as if she abhorred admitting this weakness to anyone.
“Two of our best warriors, Madrigue and Ladrigue were dispatched to observe as much as they can withstand. They have yet to return to report.” Oberon's words had Zantry looking up at him.
“Are they overdue?”
“Nay, not yet.”
“It is different from when you first arrived,” Titania said, the image of the dead land reappearing in front of us. Zantry leaned forward to study it better, his eyes scanning everything. “How so?”
“The energy is being drained from the environment without any obvious manifestation. Whatever it is Remo is doing, he is preventing the beings from taking form.”
At this, Queen Titania glanced at me, and all the blood drained from my face. “An early patrol returned yesterday with one of Remo's agent in toe. He'd been captured while wandering along the patch of death, seemingly in a trance. When interrogated, Remo's pawn refused to answer any question.”
Zantry frowned. “Where's the agent now?”
“Dead,” Oberon replied, and Zantry returned his attention to the image ahead. A well of dread filled my stomach and a quiver resonated through my being.
“When did this start?” Zantry asked.
“We are not sure. We first felt its presence when the death had eaten through three acres of the land, two moons past.”
“How much do you estimate it's taken already?”
“Thus far, I believe more than one thousand acres,” Oberon replied.
The image disrupted, slower this time, as if it took effort to close the window. Zantry looked down at his hands, his expression troubled. Then he looked at me, his eyes conveying nothing of what he was thinking. “And she's here because?”
Every eye turned to look at me. The quiver became a full blown tremor and I took a deep breath that did nothing to help calm my nerves.
A sinking feeling overtook me, a sense that I was about to be doomed forever, and I had to clasp my hands together to try and stop them from shaking.
Queen Titania met my eyes and held it, hers full of unforgiving judgment. “It was agreed that the promised child would be nurtured in this court, a subject to my throne, to be educated as a warrior.”
Whatever blood still circulated my brain left my head in a rush. On its wake an icy chill permeated my veins, leaving me lightheaded and unable to think.
Zantry cocked his head to the side, studying me with his cool expression. Gone was the friendly guy with the warm and fun smile I met in New York.
“What's so special about her?”
“She is the daughter of a powerful Dhiultadh, as well as Odra's granddaughter.”
“And a human.” Zantry point
ed out, baffled. “Her blood is diluted. What can she possibly do, even with a thorough training? You have far more skilled subjects, as well as fearsome warriors.”
“Brutal force is not what we need,” Queen Titania replied. “We have tried this method before, and it did not work.”
“So you think throwing a half human to Remo will stop him?”
“We have gathered extensive knowledge about Remo's workings. With the proper guidance, we believe Fosch's daughter will become a worthy opponent and freeze, if not destroy, the portal permanently.”
A silence so heavy it could demolish a building followed her words, broken only when Zantry snorted rudely. “Her?” he flicked a finger toward me. “What are you seeing that I'm not?”
“She is the granddaughter of Odra the third, the daughter of Yoncey Fosch,” Lee retorted.
“And a human.” He repeated, his eyes moving from Lee to Queen Titania. “What aren't you saying?” He demanded. “I thought only an offspring who carried a combination of my blood and the blood of an energy manipulator could freeze the portal. And I know how that combination feels in an aura. I met Cara, and Roxanne's aura has nothing compared to it.”
Cara, Logan's mate. Arianna's daughter.
Zantry shifted to me, leaning closer, and instinctively, I leaned back. His eyes scanned my face with an intensity that almost felt physical.
“Whose daughter is she?” Zantry asked, his voice carrying a tone I couldn't decipher. I choked on air, but no one paid me any attention. I didn't think I could feel more nervous than I already was feeling, but I was wrong. My stomach quivered with anxiety, and I had this urge to find the nearest bathroom.
“She is the offspring of Dhiultadh Yoncey Fosch and a mortal woman.”
Zantry's eyes moved between Queen Titania and Oberon, trying to figure them out. “You know I know how this works, right?” When silence was all the answer he got, he demanded in a quiet tone, “What happened to Arianna?” And even I didn't miss the suspicion lacing his words.
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