Faery Queen (18 page)

Thomas didn't answer. Inside, he wanted to scream in frustration. He just wanted his family back. Still, he got the feeling that, on some level, Ean felt as frustrated as he did, as alone and tired.

“It is hard enough for elves to beget heirs, but for King Merrick it should have been impossible. He is unblessed and heirs are a blessing. The very idea that Juliana carries his child contradicts that truth. But, if by some black magic or by some strange will, she does carry his child, I fear the outcome cannot be a happy one.” Ean sighed. “I am sorry to have to tell you this, but Juliana might be lost to you.”

“Nay, I…” Thomas paused, thinking of Hugh and his suspicions of the Unblessed King. Thomas was beginning to agree with him. He didn't for a moment think Juliana would carry any but Merrick's child. That didn't bode well though. What if merely carrying the baby killed her? What if Merrick's seed changed her, harmed her? Begetting children was risky enough for women. “I cannot believe Juliana is lost. I will never give up on her. Never.”

“I understand, Sir Thomas, I do.”

“Then, you know I cannot give up hope. Perchance the king keeps her hidden to keep her and the baby safe.”

“You mean safe from me?” Ean shook his head. “She has no reason to fear me at this time and I do not make a habit of hurting children. I have listened for news of a child, but have not heard anything—not that I would be the first Merrick would tell.”

“What about Hugh and William? They are still blessed by you. Can you find them? Are they here?” Thomas asked, feeling very alone. “Please, help me. I will do anything you demand in return.”

Ean glanced around the tent, nodding his head. “Aye, Sir Thomas, I believe you would.”

 

 

 

Hugh stormed out of the faery hall. How could that faery witch do this to him? And what was worse, he fell for it! He fell for her words, her seduction, her spell. Pushing past two men blocking the entryway, he strode into the courtyard. Fresh air assaulted him and he took a deep breath. It didn't help. Nothing helped. Walking out of the palace into the dimly lit forest, he suddenly stopped and frowned.

“Nicholas?” Hugh questioned, not turning to look and confirm what he thought to have seen. It couldn't be. Nicholas was dead. He'd seen him killed, burned into ash by King Lucien.

“Aye, Nicholas,” William confirmed. “I found him in Lucien's prison. I could not leave him there to rot.”

Hugh felt a mixture of excitement and regret fill him. The man, his childhood friend, was alive and yet he knew the full truth of what Nicholas had done. Juliana also knew, as she'd discovered the full extent of Nicholas' deeds, but William and Thomas were only told a part of the story. All knew Nicholas had killed Lord Eadward when possessed by demons, but they didn't know the full, slaughtering horror of the tale.

Nicholas had slain his father, stabbing him while he slept. Though the man had been possessed, Hugh feared him because there was a part of Nicholas who could've allowed it to happen—not to mention how Nicholas had knowingly covered the truth of it afterward. There was no way a man could do such a thing, possessed or not, and come away from it undamaged in some way.

Apprehensive, Hugh turned around to see Nicholas for himself, but was distracted from his purpose as he discovered the palace was gone, disappeared as if it was never there. He looked about in surprise as they stood surrounded by the forest trees.

For a moment, regret overwhelmed him as he realized Tania was gone and he might never see her again. He knew everything he'd felt for her was a lie, a spell, but he still felt it. The emotion, the happiness, the freedom from responsibility and worry had been real. He'd cared for her. She'd made him happy, for a brief time she had made him content. To have that, to taste the pleasure, to live in the bliss only to lose it as if it never existed, was a horrific feeling.

“Hugh?” William asked.

“Aye.” Hugh forced all regret out of his mind, refusing to think of the faery queen. Nothing he felt for her could be real. The last year spent longing for her wasn't real. She'd done something to him to make his mind obsess over her and then she'd kidnapped him to finish what she'd started. Even now, the pull he felt had to be of her doing. Hugh hated her for that, hated her for giving him something false to cling to.

“Hugh?” William repeated. “Are you…?”

“I am well.” The earl forced his attention from where the palace had been to his brother. Nicholas waited by William's side. The man's green eyes were dull and vacant. His hair was long, straggly, and he had a beard. Hugh had seen men who spent time in dungeons, had seen eyes in the faces whose spirits had been broken. Nicholas looked like such a person. “Are you sure it is safe to have him with us?”

“Who? Nicholas?” William glanced at the man. “He was in Lucien's dungeon.”

“That does not answer my concern. The last I saw him, he was possessed by demons.”

“Only one, I would assume,” William corrected.

“Fine, possessed by a single demon.”

“He looks all right to me.” William had Nicholas by the arm and pulled him along as he walked, doing the same with an elfin male. “Aside from being confused.”

“Who is that?” Hugh asked, looking at the elf.

“I know not. He was in the prison, as well as another just like him. I could only help these two escape, though I did try for the third.” William led both dazed men forward. It was clear they couldn't move without assistance. “I am not sure what happened to them. They do not speak. Nicholas does not even know his name.”

“Mayhap it is not Nicholas.” Hugh eyed the man. It looked like Nicholas—a worn, beaten, tired Nicholas. “I saw Nicholas die. I saw him blaze up in flames. I saw his body turn to a smoldering pile of ash. A man cannot forget such things. This could be the demon that possessed him.”

“And it could be Nicholas,” William said. “Why would Lucien keep a demon chained?”

“To trick you and the woman with violet eyes, ah…”

“Mia,” William supplied. “Her name is Mia.”

“Mia probably freed you to make you think she was helping, when in reality, she was tricking you. It was by her hand that Lucien kidnapped me and brought me to Queen Tania. As far as I can ascertain, no one here is to be trusted.” Hugh waved his hand to encompass the forest. “You were right all along, brother. Naught is as it seems in this world. The whole realm is a cursed, ugly, horrible place.”

“Not all of it. Our realm is just as troubled. We humans have our own deceits, our own trickeries. Our kingdoms fight. Our—”

“I get the point.” Hugh lifted his hand, cutting him off. “But in our world men use words and swords. Here they take away a man's will with spells and potions. How can we, as mortals, fight such weapons if our power to think, to feel as we should, is taken away? We are not equipped to live in the immortal realm.”

“I never thought I would hear you say you were unequipped for any kind of struggle—be it a conflict or a war.” William looked concerned.

“I will fight and deal with what I must, because I must. But I will not be so foolish as to ignore the very simple fact that we do not belong in this world. There is a reason the realms are separated. And, as soon as this is all over and we have Thomas and Juliana back in our fold, I'm going to dedicate my life to making sure Tania,” Hugh paused, correcting himself, “to making sure none of this crosses over into Bellemare again.”

“And the blessing?”

“I have faith that Bellemare can survive on the merits of its people,” Hugh said. “We will make our own blessing. I do not want it if in so being blessed I risk losing my family.”

“Do you know what you are saying?” William demanded. “If King Ean were to take his blessing away…”

“We are human.” Hugh gave a small, unhappy laugh. “We build our lives on the merit of our birth, the goodness of our deeds. Bellemare can take its chances with the rest of the mortal realm. I am not afraid of hard work. I am not afraid to keep what is ours by my own merits. I will die for Bellemare if I have to.”

“What did Queen Tania do to you?” William studied him. “I have never seen you this bitter.”

Hugh had to turn away from his brother's probing gaze. He didn't want to think of Tania, of her deceit. “It does not matter.”

“Faeries are different than we are, Hugh. They do not always understand the darker forces or that their actions can have darker consequences. Imagine if you will a nunnery—”

“I know you are not about to compare those loose moral faeries to holy nuns.”

“They are not all of loose morals,” William defended.

“From what I have seen, aye, they are.” Hugh glanced around at the trees, trying to decide which way to go. Thinking of Tania's loose morals wasn't exactly what he wanted to be doing at the moment.

“This is beyond the point I am trying to make.”

“Then what are you trying to say?” Hugh didn't want his brother to defend Tania or her kind. He wanted his life back, as it was.

“Faeries are beings of beauty and light. Their magic is rooted in it. To even see evil taints them and harms their magic. When I said they were like nuns, I did not mean they were celibate or God-worthy, I meant they are delicate, protected creatures. They live in their own world, like nuns in a nunnery, where the outside evil does not usually come. By nature, they are playful but innocent.”

“You are going to have a very difficult time convincing me those women are innocents.”

“Nay, not all of them are innocent to the ways of men, but they do not understand the miseries in life. They are not too familiar with the concept of death or violence. They do not face darkness or think of it. They—”

“I have no wish to hear this, William. Queen Tania is tainted. I could see well the change in her.” He again looked around the forest, anywhere but at his brother's steady gaze. “That witch made a deal with Lucien to kidnap me. The Damned King almost killed me and he was going to kill you.”

“It does not make sense,” William said. “I heard you talking to Tania, Hugh, and I know you are angry with her. But Tania and Lucien? Together? It is not in her nature to make such an alliance. To do so would kill her and her subjects.”

“Nothing here makes sense. All I have is what I know and I know Lucien brought me to Tania because she made a pact with him.”

“Then she must really need you here to have made such a deal.”

Hugh couldn't believe that. Tania didn't need him. He was just an amusement. “If she needed me to come here, she could have sent an invitation. Nay, brother, methinks you think too highly of them. They are beautiful women and women tend to cloud your judgment.”

“But—”

“Let us go.” Motioning his hand that William should follow, Hugh walked away from where the palace had been. “We need to find Thomas. If I know our brother, he is here looking for us.”

“Aye. Thomas would have found a way to cross into this realm. The only question is did he go to King Merrick or King Ean to start his search?”

“We will go to…” Hugh didn't want to say it. “We will go to Merrick first. Juliana is there. We might get lucky and find Thomas as well. If not, we will go to Ean from there.”

“What makes you think our sister will come home with us? She chose Merrick. Do you really think she has changed her mind?”

“Because,” Hugh looked at the dark trees, feeling as if their limbs somehow watched him. The leaves rustled, giving him chills. “We will not give her a choice.”

Chapter Eight

Mystic Forest, Two days later…

“I said, tell me the way to King Merrick's palace,” Hugh growled, shaking the small creature before him. Green-brown eyes stared back at him, the color of mossy tree bark. They matched his long hair and beard, even his clothes. The gnome didn't answer so Hugh shook him again.

“He does not know,” William said behind him. Hugh barely heard the words. “Let the gnome go, Hugh.”

“Aye, let the gnome go,” the gnome agreed, repeating William. “I do not know.”

“Then tell me how to find King Ean,” Hugh said.

“I cannot. There be a war,” the gnome protested. “And I am not so sure you be good.”

“Tell me!” Hugh yelled. The little man knew something. He had to. The creature was the first they'd come across in days.

“Hugh, please.” William came to his side. He placed a hand on his arm. Looking at the gnome, he asked, “What is your name, good sir?”

The gnome gave Hugh a hard look, but the earl did not let go of him. “I be Dvorovoy Djedoesjka of the woodland gnomes at your service, kind wizard, but I be not at his.”

Hugh snarled as the gnome nodded meaningfully at him.

“Do you know the way to either the Blessed or Unblessed King? And if not the direct way, the direction one must travel to get there?” William kept his voice soothing.

“Nay, kind wizard.” Dvorovoy wrinkled his nose at Hugh. At the moment, the feeling was mutual and Hugh returned the look. “I cannot help you. The way is blocked to magic searchin'. The forest changes her mind, gives bad signs dependin' on what part of it you be in. You cannot even count on the moss to grow right and the dew beetles only run in circles.”

“Is there any here that might know the way?” William asked.

“Afraid I cannot help you there. For directions you would be wantin' my brother, Domovoi. He is the found one. I am always lost.”

“And where is Domovoi?” Hugh asked, his mouth tight. Was there a reason every creature in this realm needed to be difficult? If Dvorovoy hadn't tried to run away to begin with, Hugh would never have grabbed him. He looked at William. It has been two days since they left Feia and it wasn't lost on him what was to happen this day. It was the day King Lucien had planned to kill William—if Mia and Tania were to be believed. The knowledge made him harsher than usual.