Chapter 16
“We need to pick up the pace, I’m unsure what darkness could bring.” Maddox urged, sounding nervous.
We had already passed the second village, and found it much the same as the first. The buildings were similar and the town itself was silent. The difference was the war had hit this town a bit harder. Some buildings were caved in and parts of the town were destroyed.
We had about an hours walk left, and the sun was slowly dropping behind the trees ahead. I stretched my legs to warm up for a second and Gerwyn gave me a curious look. I glanced at Bowen and his eyes narrowed in challenge. I think he had an idea what I was doing. I grinned at him and stretched my back before bracing myself. I stared at those ahead of us to figure out how to slip between them. With one more look at Bowen, I took off at a run, Bowen at my heels.
“Race you!” I screamed as my legs carried me down the road. Bowen was next to me in seconds and it was my turn to narrow my eyes in challenge. I heard a rumbling laugh as Emrick passed us both, jogging backwards to wink at me, before turning around and running a bit ahead.
“What the heck, Em?” I huffed and Bowen chuckled.
“He wins every challenge, he can’t help it.” Bowen informed me, keeping pace next to me. I turned around and noticed the others jogging a few paces behind us.
“Not today, he doesn’t.” I huffed and ran ahead, pushing myself as hard as I could. He was still out of reach and I wasn’t sure I could go any further. I continued to jog and the Castle was closer than ever.
I got an idea, and decided it was worth a shot. I pushed magic into my legs, willing them to move faster. I felt a rush of wind as I felt my body propel me even faster, leaving Emrick in a cloud of dust. I was about to hit the city gate when I pulled my magic back. The only problem was that I didn’t know how to stop myself. I tumbled over my legs and rolled a few times across the gravel until my entire body hit the city walls. My breath was knocked out of me and I took a minute to regain it. I stood on my shaky legs and bowed to the others who were all bent over laughing at my graceful fall. All except Allwyn who looked as exasperated as ever. I had a feeling he didn’t care for my humor.
I started to walk forward and my legs gave out. I crumpled to the ground and Allwyn rushed forward. He bent down in front of me, looking me over from head to foot.
“I guess using magic to beat Emrick, wasn’t the best choice. But I won!” I cheered. I heard Bowen’s howls of laughter and looked at Emrick’s face. He shook his head at me, but I could see his smile.
“Can you even walk?” Allwyn asked, bringing his eyes back to him. I could see the hint of jealousy in his eyes. I reached out and grabbed his hand.
“Help me up?” I asked softly, giving him a gentle smile. His eyes softened and he helped me to my feet, his arm securely around my waist. Maddox walked ahead to the city gate and I noticed this gate actually had a large bar built into it, to pull it open. Emrick stepped forward and between them they were able to pry it open. The gate creaked and resisted, but it was no match for the giant Fae. Maddox was no lightweight either.
The town beyond the gates was a dream come true. My architecture heart was happy. The buildings were strong and beautiful. The homes in this city were made of stone and had intricate carvings decorating the trim. Beautiful statues and fountains were decorating the town center, though the fountains now ran dry.
The war had clearly taken it’s toll here as well. Many of the buildings had crumbling walls. The stone streets had craters and cracks running through them, making the walk a bit harder to navigate. I didn’t feel the need to explore inside of these buildings, since I knew we would just find more of the same. Someday I wanted to come back here and help rebuild.
We continued toward the castle, which was on a hill near the end of the town. I wasn’t surprised it was poised above the homes of the citizens, it fit with the high and mighty feeling I was getting from these royals.
The castle walkway was separated by one metal gate. Instead of bars, the gate was an intricate winding of metal to create swirls throughout the panel. They were open already, so we hurried up the bath. The sky had already gone dark, and an ominous fog was rolling in.
Standing underneath the castle I was finally able to appreciate it’s beauty. The purple stone walls were trimmed in green. I touched a section of green, unsure of what it could be made of. It was smooth and glossy, almost like a green glass.
“Welcome home, Queen Arabella.” Allwyn whispered. I pulled my eyes away from the impressive structure, and glanced at my guards. They all had small smiles on their face. I smiled back, and walked forward to push open the door. I signaled the guys forward when it wouldn’t budge. It took our entire group of six to push it open.
I took a step into the castle when a wave of magic engulfed me, lifting me into the air. I could hear the men shouting below me, but I was immobilized. All I could think about was the men below me, hoping I wouldn’t die up here alone. My vision blurred over and eventually faded to black.
“Open your eyes, child.” A woman’s voice called to me, though it was echoing, like layers of several voices overlapped.
I opened my eyes and I was still floating, but I was no longer in the castle. Instead I was in a forest clearing. Vines grew up and wound around a large stone altar. Intricate symbols were etched onto the surface. Underneath the altar was a shallow stone pond, filled with a magenta moss that gave the water a pink reflection.
I looked around but still didn’t see the person the voice belonged to. A bright light lit up the altar until I had to close my eyes. As I noticed the light dimming behind my lids, I opened them. Standing on top of the altar was a woman, though it was hard to see her features through the light and swirling magic that surrounded her.
“Who are you?” I asked in a stunned voice. I wasn’t familiar with Faerie or any legends of this realm.
“I am Faerie. I am the spirit of this realm. Parts of me were corrupted during the Dark War. I need you, the Queen of all courts, to balance out the lands of Faerie again.” Her echoing voice explained, sending shivers down my spine at the sheer power behind it.
“I tried, I passed out and made no difference.” I explained, feeling the sorrow of the land once more.
“You cannot do it alone, you are just the catalyst. Your journey is different from most. Your magic is too strong for you alone. When Faerie was created, four stones remained in each land, feeding it’s power to the land. When magic and blood soaked into the very soil, the stones were corrupted. You must find them and cleanse them. Once you do this, Faerie will be cured of the poison. Then I will release the animals once more.” My mind was reeling from this news, and I had so many questions.
“How do I cleanse the stones?” I asked, better to ask the important questions while I had the chance. I’ve never been in the presence of a creator and didn’t know how long I really had to speak to her.
“Your magic. Just as you tried to heal the land, you will heal the stones. Once the Stones are replaced, put them into your crown. Then you will truly be able to restore order and life in the realm again.” I was about to ask her about the crown when I felt a weight settle onto my hair. I couldn’t move my hands to inspect, but I knew it was the crown she spoke of. “Once your crown is restored, it will magically bind you to your mates. You will have one for each court. To be a true Queen of balance, you will need these men to balance you out. Trust them and lean on them. You embody what four separate royal families did before you. You must connect with all four men or your power could destroy you.”
“Thank you, Spirit of Faerie, I will restore you.” I vowed. I felt the magic slowly recede and my vision blurred again. Once my vision was clear I was floating back down to the floor, and Emrick plucked me out of the air.
“What was that?” Maddox barked. Gerwyn gave him a sharp look.
“She clearly didn’t do it herself.” He chastised.
“You got yourself a crown!” Bowen exclaimed, pointing to my head. I nodded, still dazed from everything that happened. I could feel my body quaking as it adjusted to the loss of magic surrounding it.
“We need a fire.” Allwyn announced and stalked off to find a fireplace. Emrick trailed behind him, still holding me tightly.
“I’m ok, big guy.” I whispered weakly, trying to calm the tremors.
“Emrick, a little help!” Allwyn bellowed from the other room. Probably because something heavy needed lifted and not because he was jealous. At least that’s what I told myself.
“I’ll take her.” Gerwyn stepped up with his arms open and waiting. Emrick gave me one last squeeze before depositing me into Gerwyn’s arms.
“I’ve got you, beautiful queen.” He whispered as he followed the others into the room. Before my eyes closed completely I noticed Maddox’s scowl. I frowned, not sure what I did to offend him. I felt myself drifting off to sleep. I was safe and warm, surrounded by these strong protectors.