Faetal: A New Adult Fantasy Dark Prince Romance

by Deiri Di

  The Queen waved her hand, cutting him off.

  "Fear," Chase whispered.

  "Your town will be exempt from taxes this season," the elf with the scroll said. "See that this does not happen again."

  The underfed elf smiled, trembling. "Thank you! Thank you, your eminence! Than-"

  "Next," the elf with the scroll said. He leaned down to whisper to the Queen. She nodded.

  "Approach, Lord and Lady of the estate of Orici," the elf with the scrolls said.

  A male and female elf strolled along the carpet, not looking at the decrepit elf as he hurried back past them. Their clothes were light and airy, a flimsy look that set their place as elves that belonged in that court. An older elf followed in their wake, his hair gray but his face untouched by the ravages of time. If he dyed his hair, his age would be unknowable.

  Lady Orici stepped forward, her black hair pulled back in a tight bun, emphasizing her ears with the hairdo's starkness. She placed her hand on the stone and began speaking. The stone turned an intense shade of green.

  "We have come as a favor to Lord Haeron, who is unable to repay his debt. We are gracious and wish to forgive his debt in return for the deed to his northern pastures."

  "Lord Haeron, you are not happy with this arrangement?" the Queen asked, speaking for the first time.

  Lady Orici stepped back, and the older elf took her place, putting his hand on the stone. It did not change colors.

  "I will be able to repay the debt in gold in just a few months," he said. "I do not need much more time than was allowed for in the contract."

  "A contract is a contract," Lady Orici said. "Which is why, when I pressed burning wood to your son's flesh, I was careful not to touch any part of him with my own skin. He cried as he died, and I could not give him comfort, as I promised never to touch him when we signed our peace agreement."

  Lord Haeron's face crumpled into rage. "You'll-"

  A tingle trickled down Mari's spine.

  His declaration was interrupted by the scream that came out of his mouth. The stone was pitch black under his hand, and the darkness surged upwards, turning his pale skin into a mottled black. Lord Haeron struggled, trying to pull his hand off of the crystal; it stuck there as if it were fused to the stone itself.

  The black surged up his neck, covering one side of his face. Lord Haeron's eyes rolled back up into his head, and he collapsed, twitching, held up by the one hand the stone would not release it.

  When his body stopped all movement, the black receded into the stone, and Lord Haeron's corpse fell to the floor.

  Mari pressed her hand to her mouth to stifle a scream. Some of the elves around her started giving her strange looks. None of them looked very concerned about the situation, and her look of utter shock was drawing attention to her.

  Chase began guiding her towards the exit.

  "Very clever," the Queen said, a look of boredom on her face. "But if you killed the son, I will have to punish you for this."

  Mari turned to watch, resisting as Chase put his hand on her waist and tried to pull her along.

  Lady Orici stepped over the corpse and put her hand back on the stone. It turned a smug shade of yellow. "No, your eminence, I did not. I did, however, pay the bandits who killed him for the details of his death."

  "Very well," the Queen said, waving her hand in a dismissive manner. "To repay the debt, you will receive the northern pastures."

  "But your eminence, surely with the clever maneuver my wife has performed done we deserve-" Lord Orici spoke up for the first time.

  "The rest of the land will go to the crown," the Queen said, leaving no room for argument in her voice. "You do not get to profit from Lord Haeron's death, no matter how clever. He was an entertaining member of the court. Next time target someone who is less amusing, and you can keep their land."

  The lord and lady bowed.

  Chase pushed Mari back out into the hallway and began dragging her through the corridors of the Palace.

  "It kills people!" she said, her voice echoing against the stone walls. Chase glanced around with concern. There was no one near them.

  "No," he said. "It kills whoever has strong negative emotions while touching it. It was designed that way."

  Mari shook her head. "Remind me never to hate someone."

  Chase gave her a faint smile, halfhearted. "You're immune to magic," he said.

  "Then what would it do?" she asked.

  Chase shook his head and didn't reply. "You didn't see any of that, okay?" he asked instead.

  Mari rubbed her forehead. She hated keeping secrets, especially from Vladmir.

  "This is important, Mari," Chase said, his voice soft. There was a warm tickle in her belly when he said her name, and she didn't know why. Was it really the first time he'd called her by her name?

  Her mind began listing off reasons why Vladmir was such a wonderful guy.

  Mari nodded, giving her own half-hearted smile back. The court was a horrible place to be, and she didn't want to be there. If only Vladmir would want to go somewhere else, she couldn't leave him to this place all alone.

  Mari followed Chase back to her room, trying to ignore the overpowering litany of Vladmir's attractive features. It wasn't just Vladmir she was worried about - she didn't want to leave Chase alone there either.

  [ 9 ]

  "I want to see the city," Mari said, throwing her book down on her bed. "I've been cooped up in this Palace the entire time I've been here. It's been almost a week! Let's go out."

  Chase looked up from his reading. "I'm not supposed to-"

  "So what?" Mari said, rising to her feet. Since the ball, she'd been stuck in her room or the garden with only brief, fleeting moments with Vladmir. She enjoyed reading about the Fae world's creatures and habits, but nothing beat seeing it for oneself. The only way she was going to do that was if she managed to get out of her gilded cage and took matters into her own hands. "Do you always do everything your brother wants you to?"

  Chase frowned, putting his book down on the table. "You don't know anything. You'll only get yourself into trouble."

  "Then it's a good thing I'll have you with me," Mari said. "Unless you think it is a better idea that I go by myself?"

  Chase pressed his lips together, giving her a contemplative look. "Do you wish to go?"

  "Yes," Mari replied without hesitation. There hadn't been any more attempts on her life or magical dances; she was ready for a little excitement.

  Chase stood and went to the door. He opened it and poked his head out. Mari could hear him speaking to someone who was outside but couldn't make out the words. When he was done, he shut the door and leaned his back against it.

  Mari gave him one of her frowns. "Don't think you can keep me trapped in this place. You can't pay attention to me all the time."

  Chase laughed. "And what do you think you're going to do?" he said. "Hit me over the head with a hardback? Your arms are so feeble you're more likely to hurt yourself."

  "I could always steal your sword," Mari said. She was frustrated and starting to get angry. "Or I could make a run for it."

  "Someone who has never held a sword before isn't going to hold on to one for long, and when it comes to running, even the fittest humans are not very fast," Chase smirked at her.

  Mari fumed. Maybe she should try one of her thoughts instead of just laying them out for him to shoot down. Action will get you farther than words. Besides, if she failed, Chase wouldn't hurt her anyway, of that she was sure.

  A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

  Chase went to the door. When his back was turned, she closed in, taking advantage of the opportunity. The sword was a bad idea, but she knew that she could handle the dagger in his boot just fine. She grabbed it and jumped backward, prepared to bluff her way out of the room. He didn't turn or react to the theft as she expected.

  Instead, Chase took the bundle from the brownie waiting at the door and then closed it. He turned, holding the
dull brown cloth package out to her.

  "What is it?" Mari asked, the dagger held out away from her body, still pointed at him.

  "You don't think you can go out to the market dressed the way you are, do you?" He asked. "Only the elves of the court wear decorative pieces of fluff."

  Mari looked down at her delicate gown and slippers.

  Chase unwrapped the bundle. It contained thick cloth pants and a shirt, a leather vest and boots, and a cloak with a hood.

  "You'll blend in with this outfit, and we'll hide your little round ears with the hood. As long as you don't draw attention to yourself by talking, we should be able to move around safely."

  Mari looked at the stolen dagger in her hand, feeling silly. He was planning on taking her to see the city from the beginning. She held the blade out to him, hilt first. "Sorry about that," she said.

  "You keep it," Chase said. "I'll teach you to use it later; there is a good spot for it in your new boots."

  Mari took the clothes from him and slipped into them behind the dressing screen. They fit perfectly. Clothing can't be made to fit in the matter of minutes it took Chase to ask for the clothes and for them to arrive, especially when the clothes were made by hand like they were here. Mari put her new dagger into the sheathe in her boot, admiring how it tucked down out of sight. First the books, now an entire outfit that she was more comfortable in than any of the gowns or dresses in the world. Sure it wasn't as flattering to her curvy figure, but pants made her feel less exposed—less like a doll on display.

  Thoughts of Vladmir invaded her mind like a calvary charge running through peasants with pitchforks.

  The only item that didn't fit was the cloak. It pooled around her feet while the hood enveloped her face, hiding her features in darkness. She pulled the hood back. It was oversized and obstructed her vision.

  Mari followed Chase through the hallways. Instead of striding through them without hesitation, Chase led her in an uneven path, stopping at junctions to look and listen in either direction, sometimes hiding in alcoves as groups of elves walked by. Mari loved it. It was more fun than she had at the disappointing ball.

  They slipped out of a side entrance. The door was low, made for the brownies; they had to crouch to walk through it. A guard waited up ahead, his back to them, by a small gate in the wall surrounding the Palace. Even the servant entrance was guarded.

  Chase turned, grabbing the sides of her hood and pulling it up over her head. "Don't speak," he warned her. He positioned her so that she was to the side and behind him, partially hidden by his body. Then they walked towards the gate.

  "Where are you off to today, sir?" the guard asked, unlocking the gate for them.

  "I'm on the Queen's business today," Chase said.

  The guard opened the gate and stood out of the way. As they started to walk past him, he asked another question. "How about your little friend there?"

  Chase whirled, taking a step forward to get right up in the guard's face. "You seem to be very curious about what Queen's business might be. Do you want me to tell you?"

  The guard paled and started stammering. "No... ah.. no... please, sorry, sir. I didn't see you come this way at all."

  Chase nodded. "That you didn't."

  He turned, and they left the relieved guard behind.

  As they walked down clean cobblestone streets, Chase fiddled with the hilt of his sword, glancing around at the vine-covered buildings that rose around them, boxing them as they moved further into the city.

  Mari looked up at the structures that surrounded them. They were made out of wood, but they didn't look right. Instead of flat planks of wood, the buildings looked like they were made out of the full trunks of trees, like a log cabin built with the logs running vertically instead of horizontally. The tops of the buildings were a mesh of living leaves, branches interwoven with slate. The overall effect was roofs that appeared to be alive but still a proper roof that would keep out the water. The bottom of the buildings were thick, and there were roots that ran into the ground, hidden underneath the street's cobblestones.

  "You aren't on the Queen's business," Mari said, still examining the buildings as they walked by. She couldn't be right. It must be a form of popular artwork - buildings couldn't be made out of trees while they were still alive and planted. "So doesn't that mean the guard was doing his job? His only failure was that he didn't detain us and confirm your story."

  Chase grunted. "Still. He shouldn't be stopping the son of the Queen at all."

  Mari felt terrible for him. His own mother didn't seem to care very much, and even the staff knew it. She tried to imagine what it would be like growing up with all of the servants and guards treating an older brother far better, always aware that the mother didn't care. She felt an empathetic twinge.

  No, Vladmir was a better brother; that's why he was treated better.

  Mari frowned at that thought, confused where something so unlike her had come from. The confusion faded as her thoughts were directed back to Vladmir's magnificence, like a drug addict chasing despair away with another hit.

  Mari changed the subject, unable to stand her curiosity any longer. "These buildings are amazing," she said. "Whoever built them did a great job, making them look like living trees."

  "They are," Chase said. "This entire city is a forest of sorts, adapted for a dense population."

  Mari smiled at him, and a smile started to twitch in the corner of his mouth. Chase repressed it, covering it with a frown as he looked away.

  "Don't ask stupid questions!" He said, picking up the pace.

  Mari sighed. He was the stupid one. Stupid and bipolar.

  They walked in silence for a while. Mari caught glimpses of birds and other creatures living on the rooftops, but soon she was distracted by the people walking on the streets. As they got closer to the marketplace, it became crowded with pedestrians, carts, and horses. The majority of the people were elves, but there were a lot of other creatures as well. That became even more apparent when they got to the market.

  The market was a wide street lined on either side by booths. Stores had their own booths taking up space in front of their entrances, but a merchant's stall took up every other spot there. The sound and the smells assailed Mari, and she took a step back, unprepared for the experience.

  Chase took her elbow and began to guide her down the crowded aisle between the booths.

  Groups of brownies were the most familiar to her other than the elves. They congregated in groups of ten, never straying apart. They were shorter than the court elves, and their skin was not pale and untouched by the sun. Their clothes were basic and straightforward, not the outfits of the glamorous court elves, more like laborers. They wouldn't allow the foot traffic to walk through them. They just bunched up closer together, forcing people to go around them.

  There were creatures that she identified from the book she had just read as goblins. The goblins didn't bunch together like the brownies or the elves. She spotted occasional ones arguing with a merchant or a customer, usually separated from their kind. She only saw two within five feet of each other, but they were glaring with such animosity that the crowd parted around them to give them space. After a minute of staring, one of the goblins broke eye contact, turned, and ran. They weren't tall creatures - the tops of their heads came up to Mari's chin. That was only because they didn't stand up straight. They hunched over, jutting their chins out like vultures as they bobbed their way through the crowd. As one past her, she caught a whiff of its odor and started to raise her hand to pinch her nose closed.

  Chase caught her hand and dragged it away from her face.

  "I don't want to have to kill a goblin because you insulted it," he said.

  There were other creatures than the goblins, brownies, and elves. There were the tiny people, fat little men, and women who ran between the stalls like rats, often kicked at or ignored. There was a tall creature that rippled with gorgeous orange and black fur, teeth, and claws, aiding the i
mpression of a wild animal standing on its hind legs to sell an array of fresh meat. There were a few creatures that Mari initially thought wore exotic feather cloaks, but when one turned around, she realized that it wasn't wearing anything at all. It was avian, wholly covered in down and sporting a short, wide beak.

  Several stalls were selling base materials, something that could have been unprocessed wool except for the rainbow shine that laced through it. There were other stalls offering pies or jewelry. It seemed that you could get anything there, from the raw materials for a business to the day to day necessities like food or a tailor's assistance, or even just raw vegetables and herbs.

  "Is it like this every day?" Mari asked, stopping to look at a stall filled with bird cages. Some of the pens held captive fairies, but the majority had an array of multi-colored birds. In the center of the table a single egg, large enough to be ostrich eggs but with a leathery exterior like a lizard's skin.

  "No," Chase said. "The market happens once every moon cycle."

  Mari reached out to touch the egg.

  Chase grabbed her hand again. She looked at him, ready to protest that there wasn't any harm in touching, but the ashen look on his face stopped her.

  "You touch it, you buy it," the goblin merchant said from behind the booth.

  "I don't have the coin on me to purchase one of those," Chase said. “Plus it doesn’t even matter. No one knows how to get them to hatch anyway as there is magic that keeps them in stasis until the parent decides to hatch them. Away from their mother they won’t hatch and are only used for decoration.” He pulled her away from the stall. "Keep your hands to yourself, ok?"

  Mari nodded but wished she'd managed to touch it anyway. Having a dragon for a pet would be even better than having the love of her life be an elven prince. Mostly since the love of her life was never around and left his bastard brother to keep her entertained. Mari's head ached, and positive thoughts of Vladmir pushed their way in.

  She sighed. She was too rough on Vladmir. It must be difficult to convince the Queen to let him trade the gorgeous Lady Silvia for a pear-shaped girl who couldn't even focus long enough to make a magic stone display the right emotion.