SWNOVELS Prince of Then: Chapter 14
Holly
to Gade’s side, pulling Wren along with me. “Where did the king go?”
“King? That son of a draygonet doesn’t deserve the title.” Gade crowds me against a tree, his palms above my head, his eyes wild and terrifying. “Did I tell you that you could move while the battle raged?”
I open my mouth to answer, but his fists curl into my hair, the shock of his roughness cutting off my words.
“No. I didn’t,” he says against my lips. “You could have got yourself killed. I sorely wish you would listen to me and follow my instructions.”
For a moment, I think he’s going to kiss me, but instead, he pushes away from the tree, cursing under his breath.
Crouching, he wipes his blade on the grass, then slides it into its scabbard hanging from his sword belt. “The Merit has likely transferred nearby to recover before he returns home.”
“And he won’t come back to fight?” I ask, my fingers twisting the material of my skirts.
“Come here. Let’s go.” Strong hands grip my waist and hoist me onto Wren’s back. “I doubt the Merit will return, but in Faery, anything is possible; quite often the very thing you least expect. And we don’t want to run into him off the summit, where I’ll be weaker.”
Gade whistles for Lleu, and the eagle swoops onto the perch fixed above Wren’s neck.
“That raven bird tried to kill me,” I say, looking down at Gade as he fusses with the bridle then rearranges the position of my legs. Even through my skirts, my skin burns at his touch.
“Doubtful. If Oedgar had wanted you dead, then dead you would be. The creature is fortified by magic and metal, a deadly combination,” he says gruffly as he scans my face, then my collarbones. “Your mortal flesh and skin are soft and weak.” He speaks the last part in a husky whisper, some rare emotion darkening his eyes to indigo.
I’d like to argue, but my mind, overheated by his touch, swims in residual shock from the battle.
He gulps water from a skin, and then in his usual feat of magical acrobatics, mounts gracefully with me already in position on a rolled blanket behind the saddle.
“Are you all right?” I ask as he wheels Wren around and jerks him into a trot, then a canter.
“Fine.”
“You weren’t wounded in the fight?”
“No.”
“What about your stomach? I hope you didn’t reopen the wound.”
“I said I’m fine, didn’t I? Listen, this may be asking the impossible, but can you at least try to stop talking for a while? If we’re to arrive home before nightfall, I need to focus the little power I have left to boost Wren’s speed. I recommend you hold on to me tightly.”
The thought of arriving at his kingdom sends twin bolts of fear and excitement branching through my veins as I wonder if the kingdom’s rulers will murder me on arrival. They haven’t sworn to protect me like Gade has.
As we fly down the mountainside, I press my cheek against Gade’s back and stare at the violet-tinged sky peeking through the treetops. If I’m going to be thrown in a dark dungeon, this may be my last opportunity to soak in beauty.
In a matter of hours, we’re off the mountain and following Terra River as we race across a flat plain that Gade calls the Lowlands, an expanse of grassland, broken only by the two tall peaks of the Dún Mountain range growing ever-closer in the north-east.
When we reach the mountain pass and start through the thin valley that snakes between soaring black cliffs, Wren’s pace slows to a walk, the comforting clip-clop of hooves against stones a calming sound as we travel through the narrow passage.
Fighting my drooping eyelids, I wrap my arms tighter around the fae’s waist, hoping I don’t fall asleep and tumble off Wren’s back. “So, is Lake Eyes your family name?” I ask in an effort to stay awake.
“Absolutely not.”
“Then why did the king call you that?”
“It was a taunt, the same as if I were to call you something foolish, such as honey eyes because your eyes are amber. Or sweet lips because when I kiss you, it tastes like…” He clears his throat, then clicks his horse into a trot.
“Do go on,” I prod, eager to hear the end of that fascinating sentence.
“Be silent. I’m listening out for bird signals.”
I don’t hear any birds. In this dark mountain pass, there are no trees for them to rest in, nor any nooks and crannies etched into the sleek stone cliffs. “Oh? And what do you expect they might tell you?”
“Likely they’d advise me not to murder the human in my care before we arrive at Castle Black.”
“Before? Wait… We struck a bargain. You promised you wouldn’t—”
“Enough prattle. I keep my vows, so you can calm down. I was making a jest.”
I blow out a breath. “Well, it wasn’t an entertaining one.”
“If it’s diversion you seek, then look over your shoulder. The Valley of Light is putting on quite a performance.”
“What?” I grip his sword belt and swivel around, blinded by a river of light that flows along the path behind us, giving the illusion we’ve been riding over liquid silver and making the cliff walls sparkle like jewels. “Spectacular,” I grudgingly admit.
“Indeed. Now don’t let go of me. We’ll ride the rest of the way at breakneck speed.”
“Yes, sir,” I whisper, hugging him tightly.
“I heard that,” Gade says as he leans over Wren’s neck.
The horse breaks into a gallop. A creature of air, his hooves are so silent I suspect they barely hit the ground as we speed along, at one with the wind and the elements around us.
After a while, two riders appear in the distance, their horses growing larger as we advance toward each other.
The silhouette of a large mountain spans behind them and what looks like white waterfalls gushing down its rocky sides, a pink and blue sunset above it.
The riders turn out to be Gade’s sister and cousin—Mern’s magnificent horns and Elden’s mop of shaggy hair clues to their identities.
Steamy breath blows from the horse’s nose as Mern stands in the stirrups, laughing and waving her arms recklessly above her head.
“What took you so long?” she asks, trotting her golden horse up to us, then swinging it around so they’re riding beside us. “We’ve been home since morning.”
“Wonderful,” rumbles Gade’s voice against my chest. “Shall I present your medal now? Or would after dinner suit you better?”
“Oh, shut up, Brother.” Mern leans in and plants a loud kiss on his temple.
With a laugh, he drops the reins and seizes Mern’s chin, kissing both her cheeks in turn. “It’s good to see you.” He grins at Elden. “And you, Cousin.”
Elden rides close and wraps Gade and me in a rib-crushing squeeze. I groan as he releases us, and the horses snort and stamp in impatience, their bridles jangling merrily.
“You had an uneventful journey?” asks Mern.
Gade laughs. “Not exactly. We met El Sanartha at the Lake of Spirits. Our swords tussled, but he wasn’t at full power, and I had no trouble beating him.”
“Elements, why didn’t you use the horn to call us?”
“Because I seem to have misplaced it.”
Mern’s golden skin blanches white. “And Holly wasn’t harmed?”
“No. I would’ve died before I allowed him to touch her.”
Mern cuts a sharp glance my way. “How… protective of you, Gade,” she says in an amused voice.
“But of course, the Merit was extremely interested in her. We haven’t heard the last of it. The war council must be ready for anything, even war.” His tone is ruthless and bloodthirsty, as if he’s happy about the prospect of battle, rather than disappointed or even frightened by it.
“I’m right here,” I say, digging my fingers into Gade’s sides. “I wish you wouldn’t speak about me as if I’m already dead.”
“That’s fair,” Gade agrees. “As long as when you are deceased, we’re allowed to gossip about you often.”
“Funny,” I say.
A low chuckle comes from his throat. “Not many would agree with you, human.” He nudges Wren into a trot. “Now let’s get a move on. I’m famished.”
“Is the secret out yet?” Mern asks, tipping her head in my direction.
Gade’s muscles stiffen. “No.”
Mern and Elden laugh. “Well, it soon will be.”
“What secret?” I ask, my jaw clattering shut as the horses gallop side by side, cutting off the conversation and hurtling us toward the majestic mountain where the fae’s city must be located.
A violet night falls around us as we start across an ornate bridge that transports us high above the mountain’s waterfalls and onto a path that spirals upward toward a pair of grand gates. A full orange moon floats above them as they slide open on Gade’s command, flashing a deep jade color in the moonlight.
The horses move forward, and Mern nudges me with her knee. “Holly, most fae in Talamh Cúig have never seen the likes of you before. Prepare for unwelcome attention. Faeries aren’t shy creatures. They’ll want to touch. Prod. Many won’t like the presence of a human. Do your best to endure it with a smile on your face or risk getting it bitten off.”
A shiver rolls down my back. I’d prefer to retain my face if possible. I only hope the palace guard I’ve struck a bargain with has the authority to keep me safe, as he promised.
“Will you hand me to the authorities as soon as we arrive?” I ask Gade.
He looks back at me, his lips compressed. “We shall see.”
“Can’t I stay with Mern, wherever she lives? She seems kind and caring. I think we’d get along very well.”
“Impossible.”
“Why?” I tug Gade’s cloak.
“That will soon be apparent,” Mern replies ominously.
Our horses tread up the winding pathway in a cacophony of jingling bridles and clip-clopping hooves, the sound of waves crashing below us.
“There’s an ocean down there,” I say. “I can’t see it, but I can hear it.”
“Yes.” Gade’s head turns toward the noise. “One day, we’ll build a second stronghold on the expanse of land we’re passing now and enjoy a better view of our enemies as they travel through the Lowlands to break peace with us.”
“If it’s a good position for defense, why didn’t you build there first?”
“Castle Black sits on sacred ground, forged from volcanic rock that rose from the sea by command of the sea witches, with whom we maintain an Elemental alliance.”
“Also, our land suffers since the death of the king and queen,” says Mern. “We need a new monarch to take the throne and fortify our land before we can build again. Every day, I beg the Elements to help the heir find his true power so this can be done.”
“What’s stopping him from—” I begin.
“Enough,” Gade says. “Our political problems are the least of the mortal’s concerns.”
Arriving home has put the fae in an even sourer mood than usual. Perhaps he dislikes his work as a castle guard and doesn’t want to return to it, which would be odd, since he seems rather fond of violence.
We travel east along a path through woods that Elden calls the Emerald Forest. Tiny faeries peer out from behind trees, their wings aglow as they fly in front of us as if lighting the way for our party. Other creatures, their bark-covered bodies peeling from tree trunks, bend in deep bows as we pass.
A song of lilting pipes drifts from somewhere in the valley below, growing louder until sparkling light circles our horses and our bodies, then disappears in a tinkle of bright laughter.
“Ignore the pixies,” says Elden. “They’re hoping you’ll leap off Wren and chase after them. Best you don’t, though. We may never see you again.”
“Duly noted.” Shivering, I nestle into Gade’s warm back, my thoughts drifting and growing slower, as thick as treacle.
“Time to rest, little human,” Gade’s voice rumbles against my cheek, an incantation lulling me to fall into the dream realm. It feels like magic, but I’m too tired to bother fighting it.
When I wake, we’re in a large courtyard, softly lit by floating lanterns, and Gade passes me from the saddle into waiting arms. Something strokes my cheek, and Elden’s softly accented voice says, “Her vulnerability is rather charming, don’t you think, Gade?”
“Put her down,” he replies. “Now. She’s awake and quite capable of standing without your cloying assistance.”
Elden chuckles, and Gade dismounts, rainbow-hued light outlining his body. By some magic, he looks taller, his shoulders broader, and an impressive crown of multi-colored crystal spikes glows softly on his forehead, casting moon-sparked flashes on the dark paving.
I glance at Mern and Elden, wondering if perhaps crowns are a compulsory fashion accessory for every fae in the city—guard or not.
Mern wears an ornate silver and ruby circlet that curves across her forehead and winds around the base of her horns, but Elden’s head is bare.
From the edges of the courtyard, elegant fae bow low as we pass by them and up the stairs that lead to a foreboding castle, shining the color of wet tar in the moonlight.
I side-eye Gade as he walks beside me with his head held high, and I realize I’ve been a gullible fool.
He isn’t a palace guard. He’s someone important—perhaps a high councilor or a war commander.
At the top of the stairs, gigantic black and green doors open, creaking on their ancient hinges, and a woman bathed in pulsing silver light appears on the threshold.
“Ether,” Gade says, smiling.
All three of my companions bow low to the magical creature. When Gade rises, he presses his forehead to Wren’s, and an armored fae takes the reins and leads the horse away.
“Gadriel. You’ve returned safely, just as I promised Mern days ago that you would.” She opens her pale arms, and Gade leaps up the last two steps and plants a kiss on her luminous face.
“High Mage, look what we’ve brought home for you to study—a mortal girl named Holly,” Elden says as we enter a cavernous foyer.
Precious metals and jewels set in fanciful designs cover every surface, the richness blinding to my eyes that are more accustomed to plain and practical interiors.
Gade stares at his cousin with violent intent. “The girl is mine, not yours to give away like a trinket you found on your journey. As yet, I haven’t decided her fate. But on pain of death, no one is allowed to lay a finger on her.”
Ether laughs. “No one but you, of course.”
Gade fixes her with an imperious look. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“I am only reassuring you, Your Highness, that the bond between you is clear. No one would dare take her from you.”
“Bond?” Gade glares. “What bond?”
“Your Highness?” I splutter. “What… Are you a king?”
“He is a prince and heir to the Throne of Five,” says Ether, turning her black gaze on me.
My head spins as recognition hums through me. “I know you. We’ve met before,” I say, a blurry image of the forest near my home wavering in my mind.
“Do you think so, dear? It is unlikely. I am spirit and flow through all that exists. Perhaps we’ve met in a dream.”
My mouth opens to contradict her, but my words drift away, my mind as light as cotton candy. “But I—”
“Yes, Holly?” says the mage. “You have something to tell me?”
“I do, but I can’t seem to recall what it was. It was important…”
She strokes my shoulder, and I notice her ring and little finger are longer than the others and webbed together with a shiny flap of scale-covered skin. “The thought will return to you. Promise me that when it does, you’ll find me without delay and speak of it to no other.”
As if I’m hypnotized, I nod. “Yes, I’ll do that. I promise.”
“For now, you need rest, as does Prince Gadriel.”
Prince Gadriel. I can’t believe it, but then again, it does make unsettling sense—his arrogance, the way he speaks and holds himself as if the entire world must obey and revolve around him.
A white halo of hair moves around the mage’s head, bristling and flowing as if it responds to her emotions. I would love to run my fingers through it, test its weight and texture, but wisely, I don’t give in to the urge. Best not to risk offending her.
“Elden,” says Gade as he unstraps his weapons and passes them to servants. “Take the mortal to the cells. After I’ve slept a while, we’ll meet with the council in the Great Hall and discuss her fate.”
With my heart in my throat, I step forward and tug Gade’s arm roughly, a hiss traveling through the gathered courtiers at my mishandling of their prince. “Are your vows worth so little? You promised to help me, that no harm would befall me at your court.”
“Not precisely,” he counters, jerking his arm away. “You agreed to remain here for seven days and seven nights, and I vowed to allow you to attempt to return home to your mother. That is all. If you didn’t think to add words into our bargain that safeguarded you, then you cannot blame me for your own failure.”
“Then you’re nothing but a monster who bends the truth to your advantage. Admit you swore to protect me.”
The courtiers titter, and cries of “burn the human” hiss through the air.
Cruel fingers grip my shoulders, and Gade pushes me against a wall, snarling down at me. “I swore nothing of the kind. Since it is impossible for me to lie, your accusations are baseless.”
“Gadriel.” Ether places a hand on his back. “Control your rage. Do not allow the curse to command your nature. Has your injury weakened you so much that you now stoop to terrifying the wits out of a girl who stands helpless before you?”
He sighs and steps back. “As always, you’re right, Ether. But I must know… is this mortal the foretold witch?”
“No. She is not that. But know this: harm your healer at your peril.”
Color leeches from Gade’s face, and he drops his head, eyes downcast. “Your will is mine, High Mage.”
“Good. The girl must have a well-appointed room of her own, not a cell in the dungeons. See to it.”
“But—” begins Gade.
“But nothing. She is a guest in our land and will be treated thusly. Call me after you have rested.” The mage gives me a sly smile, then dissolves into the air, leaving a shower of golden petals in her wake.
I’m the only one who gapes at her dramatic exit.
With a series of brisk commands, Gade offloads me to a servant, who nods sourly, and then leads me up one of the two sweeping carved staircases that provide access to the castle’s many levels. From where I stand, I count seven landings and seven thin towers with chambers circling their perimeters, spiraling ever upward.
“Wait a moment.” Gade takes the stairs three at a time and stops on the one below me.
My heart pounding, I meet his glowing blue gaze and try not to cower under the magnificence of his true appearance, free from the glamor that diminished his fierce beauty.
I raise my chin. “Yes?”
The maidservant moves away, and Gade leans close to me, his breath stirring my hair and speeding my pulse. “Trust no one,” he whispers, which strikes me as strange since his command before ensured that he’s the only fae in the city who has the ability to harm me.
If he’s convinced his subjects are a danger to me, then I’d be a fool if I didn’t take extra care over the next seven days, while I hope and pray with all my might that the prince remains true to our bargain.
In the meantime, I plan to pay attention to everything I see and hear, so that when the opportunity to return home presents itself, I’ll be more than ready to take it.