This hallway led them to the bed chambers. Windows lined the entire hall to the left. Light shined from above through a glass encased ceiling. Stopping before the third door on the left, Brandalfr opened it and led her inside. Maezy didn’t know what was going on, but she permitted him to close the door behind them. Waiting, she bit her lip and held her gaze steady with his own.
He didn’t speak. He just continued to look at her. His hand rose with deliberate ease to her cheek. He swept aside a piece of hair, tucking it behind her ear. Exhaling, he skimmed his knuckles down her cheek.
Holding her own breath, Maezy bit her lip harder to keep from saying something stupid. Without a word, Brandalfr reached out and placed his palm against her cheek. His irises swirled with a bright amber, blending cinnamon with gold. Wondering at this new change, Maezy felt her breath release in a rush before she held it again.
“It’s curious how we only met the other day, and yet, I feel as though I’ve known you all my life. As if, in a heartbeat, we became the best of friends. Have you noticed it as well?” he asked.
Maezy only nodded. Her lower lip still tucked between her upper teeth. She was worried that if she spoke, the feeling building inside her and between them would dissipate without warning. Such a baffling reaction to someone she’d only known a day.
“Even more bizarre is how I was your True Love’s Kiss, when we had only met for a day. Don’t you wonder about it? Why me? Why us?” His voice was a whisper.
His head leaned closer to her own. His eyes continued to swirl and never quite remained just one color. She could stare at them all day and never be bored.
Hungry? Possibly. Bored? Never.
Maezy nodded, hearing his words and knowing she had the same questions. Yet, the spark was there. Whatever they were meant to be had been inside of them before they’d met. She knew it. She felt it. The beautiful part was how he thought so too.
“Do you have an answer?”
It dawned on her that he expected a response. Sucking in a deep breath, she sighed and shrugged. “I confess I have no clue what’s going on here. However, it does seem as though we've been brought together for a purpose.”
“All of my mother’s people believe there is one mate for them. They will spend their whole lifetime searching for that person. My father’s clan is a bit fickler in their tastes. My father is a fascination to them. How he can love one being for all his life, let alone marry her, is beyond their comprehension.”
Maezy listened to his soft voice. The whispers reached her ears, but her beating heart had her leaning forward to hear more clearly. The rapid pounding was so loud; she knew he had to hear it too.
Nodding, she knew elves loyal temperaments. She hadn’t realized warlocks preferred less monogamous relationships. Listening, she wondered where this conversation was going.
“I am a firm believer in true love,” he murmured. “If you find the one who is your other half, you should never let her go.”
Maezy blinked. Licking her lips, she asked, “What do you mean?”
“I mean, if I’m your true love and you’re mine, we should think about how it alters our future. Don’t you think?”
Under his spell, she could only nod. Her head bobbed up and down three times before it was finally stopped by the brush of his lips. Closing her eyes, Maezy felt the contact throughout her soul. It was as if light poured through her, warming her, and giving off a bright reflection. It was a gentle press, hesitant, tentative.
Over before it really began, Brandalfr pulled back and smiled. “I thought we should try that while you were awake.”
“You know if you say such a thing in front of anyone else, it’s going to sound really bad?”
“True. I’ll try to remember only to speak of it when we’re alone,” he smirked.
“You plan on us being alone again, do you?” Maezy tipped back against the door and crossed her arms.
“Well, I hope we will be.” Smiling, he rubbed the ends of her hair. “I’m really glad you’re alive, Maezy. It was horrible watching you die.”
“It was horrible watching Atropos cut my lifeline.” Maezy sighed.
“You saw her do it?” he asked.
“Yes, I did.” Maezy nodded.
Head inclined backward, Brandalfr fisted his hands by his sides. “This is my fault. I never should have asked you to help me get my father back.”
“It’s not your fault, Brandalfr. I wanted to help. I told you I would help. I’d do it again.”
“Why?” he wanted to know. “Why would you go through that again?”
Maezy shrugged. “Because I made a promise. When I make a promise, I keep it. Plus, I couldn’t let you go get yourself killed.”
“I may have had more success,” he joked, hands clasped behind his back.
“Or you’d be stuck on that sandy beach with Calypso and the others. I have a feeling she wouldn’t want to let you go once you got there.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Well, you are a male. Calypso enjoys having men around. I think Atropos is a fan of Calypso’s hobby as well,” Maezy told him.
“I think you underestimate me.”
“No, I understand women. Even crazy deities.”
“What do you mean you understand them?” He inched closer to her side.
“Well, I know they would succeed in distracting you just as they did your father. I think he wanted to help me but couldn’t.”
“Great! Then we may never be able to save him!” Brandalfr threw his hands up in the air and paced away from her.
“Brandalfr, we can’t give up. If I had been a bit faster on my feet,” she paused. She shook her head and patted her sword. “I would have taken them down. This sword needs to see some action. It hasn’t decapitated anyone in a while.”
Eyes wide, he shook his head at her. “Maezy! Are you always so bloodthirsty?”
“Yes. Especially when someone tries to kill another person for no reason. That tends to really tick me off.”
“Agreed. I’m really sorry you went through all of –”
“You’re forgiven,” Maezy interrupted. “Let’s not discuss it any more. I made my own decisions. No one forced me to do anything. I’d do it again.”
Pausing, she waited for him to look at her again. “You’re forgiven, if it makes you feel better, but there’s really nothing to be sorry about. Now, we just need to figure out how to free your dad. He’d help us against my father, wouldn’t he?”
“With mother and sister safe, I believe he will.” Brandalfr frowned. “First, I think you need to go ahead and…” He motioned to her and then pinched his own shirt sleeves.
“Oh, right! I meant to get cleaned up. Blood does not make moving easy. Sticky,” she told him, lifting her sleeve to find the drying blood connecting her to the fabric. “Yeah. So, I will go take care of this. Thanks for walking with me.”
Blushing, she moved away from the doorway, so he could leave.
“I wanted to, Maezy. I think we have a lot to consider, and I don’t just mean about dealing with our fathers. Don’t you agree?”
Maezy nodded. Cheeks still feeling hot, she didn’t quite meet his gaze. For some reason, she had begun to feel shy within seconds, comprehending that he’d been in her bedroom for the last few minutes.
Where they’d been kissing. The memory left her feeling cautious. She wanted to know if he would have kissed her earlier, before she’d died.
“I’ll wait for you,” he told her and placed a kiss on her cheek before opening and walking out the door.
16
Brandalfr did as he said. He stayed right outside Maezy’s bedroom door waiting for her. Earlier, he had hoped to convey some of his feelings to her. Feelings that didn’t really make any sense when one looked at them logically.
They had just met. She had been asleep for most of the time they’d been together. Of course, there had been the escaping from her crazy, lunatic father as well. No sooner had they arrived here, but
she did him a huge favor and got killed for it. Literally dead.
Shaking his head, he began to pace back and forth through the hall. He couldn’t begin to explain the emotions of rage he’d had. Until he’d heard her voice and stopped, he’d been planning on finding her father and beating him to death.
All of this trouble because of one being. Yet, isn’t this the way any realm works? One person royally messes up, and everyone else pays for their mistake.
Sighing, he leaned against the wall across from her door. Banging his fist on the wood panel behind him, he was still tempted to go after her father. He could put enough spells in place to protect himself from the Seekers. All he needed was one blessed minute with the man.
His fist slammed against the wall one more time.
No, he couldn’t do it. The Seekers together were quite powerful. Going in on his own wouldn’t benefit him or anyone. If he got caught, Maezy would probably come after him. Then, if she got caught, they’d be right where they started.
If he had Maleficent’s help though…
“I don’t think so,” a voice sounded to his left.
Jerking off the wall and spinning to confront the interloper, he found himself face to face with the most powerful witch he’d ever met. Of course, her powers had their weak points. All powers did. You couldn’t escape it even if you tried. He had his drawing lines as well. Yet, together, he suspected they could do a lot of damage.
“We could, but I don’t think we want to do that yet. She may not admit it, but I think Maezy would be slightly saddened to see her father dead.”
“Are you reading my mind?” he questioned, brows raising.
“Just your facial expressions. Normally, you have a stoic expression which doesn’t reveal much. There’ve only been two times in our short acquaintance I’ve been able to read you.”
“Really?” Tone defiant, he crossed his arms. “When?”
“When Maezy died. And now.”
“So, you know what I’m thinking?”
“Yes,” she nodded.
“What?” he mocked.
“When she died, you wanted revenge. I saw it in your eyes. They burned with the same fire coursing through my blood. We wanted the same thing. Just now, you were thinking of exacting your revenge. You still want to go to Ingvar and kill him.”
Swallowing, Brandalfr shrugged one shoulder and tried not to allow her to see she’d been right. He knew it didn’t matter though. She’d figured out his scheme.
“It won’t work. Even if you did beat him, which if you only had him to contend with you could, he has the Seekers.”
It was nice to hear she believed in him. However, she made a valid point. The Seekers weren’t easy to beat. They were strong in their combined powers.
“With the Seekers, you wouldn’t stand a chance,” she said, reading his mind. “They have the elements working in their favor and are far stronger together than on their own. One on one, you’d win. I’d win. Altogether, it’s like the Collective, they are much harder to break.”
“It doesn’t mean I don’t want to try.”
“He didn’t make her go after your father,” she pointed out.
“You blame me,” he was blunt.
“No. I don’t blame you. I could. However, I understand. You need your father. All boys do.”
Shaking his head, Brandalfr told her, “I’m not a boy. I’ve been taking care of my family. My mother and sister were fine until Ingvar came along. I don’t need my father because I’m a child, but I need him to come home.”
Maleficemt nodded. “We need your father too. He has more energy stored in him than any other warlock. Calypso has something on him. He wouldn’t be so easily distracted by her. He could hold his own. The mermaids and Atropos are another story, of course.”
“Then why is he still there?”
“They’re combined force, for one thing.” She continued to watch him as if she were waiting for something.
“What can we do if they are there? I won’t allow Maezy to go back.” He heard his voice harden and felt his jaw clench at the mere thought of sending her back.
Maleficent smiled, her eyes ablaze with an incandescent fire. “I know you won’t. It’s what I noticed about you, Brandalfr. You are your father’s son.”
“I’m not sure I understand?” He frowned again.
“Your father was in love with me, once upon a time.”
“What?” He shook his head.
Her eyes lost their light and darkened almost black. “Don’t underestimate me, boy. Your father was my friend. There was a time when I loved him more than anything, which is hard for me. Besides Maezy, I’m not fond of the emotion and usually keep it buried deep inside.”
“What about King Ingvar?” He couldn’t resist throwing that mistake out there.
She waved her hand in the air as if she were batting away the thought. Clasping her hands in front of her, she wore a casual smile as if they were only discussing the weather. “He was more infatuation. Quickly forgotten. Unfortunately, not so quickly gotten rid of, but we all must bear our crosses.”
Shrugging, Maleficent smiled at him. “My point. Your father became my friend when we decided we wouldn’t suit. He loved another far greater than he could ever love me, and I was too fickle to keep all of my attention in one place.”
“My mother?” he wanted to know.
“Yes. Your mother. We parted as friends, and we remained friends. I knew, though, as soon as I met you. You’re going to be the one my daughter will fall in love with, but I didn’t know how you would react. I didn’t know if you, too, loved another already.”
“I don’t love anyone,” he told her, only half believing it himself.
“On the contrary, I think you care a great deal for my daughter. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have even contemplated going after her father.”
“He’s to blame for quite a bit of what has occurred. Why shouldn’t I want him dead?” Brandalfr asked.
“You only wanted to lash out at the closest person. Ingvar is that person, but you weren’t going to stop there, were you?”
“Creepy mind-reader,” he muttered, leaned back against the wall, and stared at Maezy’s door. He had never wanted someone to reappear so badly.
“True. It told me everything I needed to know. You would go after anyone who you thought would take her away from you. Therefore, you care about her.”
“So,” he huffed. “What’s the point of this? How I feel or don’t feel is my affair. Not yours.”
“It’s mine when it involves my daughter. Maezy is intelligent and fierce in her own right. Those things don’t help any female who decides she’s in love.”
“I’m sure Maezy isn’t in love with me, Maleficent.”
“You want her to be.”
“Please get to the point here!” He sighed. Having this conversation with the witch was embarrassing, especially since he wasn’t completely sure Maezy felt the same about him.
“The point, Brandalfr, is this: I’m glad it’s you.”
Startled, his head hit the wall before it swung to look at her. He could see her sincerity. The small smile on her face. The crinkle at her eyes. The calm, I’m-not-going-to-kill-you-look in those eyes.
“What?”
“I’m glad it’s you. Osvaldr raised a very brave and powerful son. One, who thanks to his mother’s culture, will love my daughter until the end of time. Loyalty is your people’s strongest suit. Besides war,” she chuckled. “I know she’ll be safe, and that’s all I need to know.”
Suspicious now, Brandalfr wondered where this strange conversation was going. Something else was being said here. Something Maleficent wasn’t coming out and telling him. He tried to think of what she meant, and he didn’t like the conclusions he was coming to.
“Maleficent, what do you mean?”
“I’m going to do what I should have done in the beginning.”
“What is that?” He was still perplexed.
“
I’m going to go after your father myself.”
“Maleficent, you saw what they did to Maezy! You won’t fare any better!”
“I’m much more equipped than she is. I should have known better. To be honest, I thought she was invincible during her realm walks. It never fully occurred to me to be worried. However, her death made me realize she can’t do everything.”
“She won’t like this. I think we should come up with another strategy. Maybe there’s a spell…” Her head shaking had him break the thought off. “Maleficent, we can think of something.”
“Brandalfr, my mind is set. It’s my duty to save your father.”
“No it isn’t! It’s mine!” He thumped his hand against his chest.
“No,” a sad shake, “it is mine. You wouldn’t understand, but I have the resources to do so. I’m also his friend. It makes perfect sense for me to go. Please tell Maezy. Take care of her for me.”
“Maleficent, Maezy won’t take this. You know that! Don’t do this! Wait until she comes out, and we can all discuss it.”
“You will understand one day, and so will Maezy. She will be made to comprehend. Keep the spells going and stay away from Ingvar. Protect Maezy. I’ll return with your father.”
“Maleficent!” With that, she turned and walked through the wall to her right. Brandalfr rushed to the wall and felt it with his hands, then struck it with his palms. “Maleficent! Maleficent, come back here now!”
“Brandalfr?”
The voice behind him had his head dropping to his chest and a long sigh buffeting the solid wall in front of him. He should have known. Maezy had taken so long, not appearing until the very moment her mother left. It had been a set-up. Maleficent had cast some spell to keep Maezy out of their conversation. He just knew it.
“Brandalfr, what’s going on? Why are you yelling for my mother through that wall?”
The Four Tales Page 83