Flee (29 page)

I have to fight now as I wait patiently for my presence to be announced to the king. To distract myself from the rest of what is taking place in the throne room, I glance at the servants bustling about conducting various chores. Most of their tasks are trivial, but the fae of the unseelie court live to serve their king and will fulfill his every whim. Some even sit at the base of his dais, awaiting the most mundane task or hoping to catch a glimpse of his cruelty in action. These fae are not only loyal, but bloodthirsty as well. Today their king is not disappointing them.

Thankfully the sounds stop and my attention is captured by a fae scurrying across the throne room floor toward the king's guard, stationed at the base of his dais. As he approaches, I see Damien walk out of the room with a look of satisfaction on his face. Unsure of what has happened to the halfling and not wishing to know, I move my gaze back to the guard, who is now relaying the news of my arrival to the king.

As I wait for him to acknowledge my presence and allow me to step forward, I take him in. The king is intimidating even by fae standards. He is very tall with sleek brown hair that barely grazes his shoulders. His face is long with sharp angles and his eyes are dark like black pits, though it has been rumored that he uses glamour to hide his true eye color because it does not look nearly as lethal as the black. A large scar trails along the side of his face from the corner of his left eye to his jawline. This imperfection could easily be covered using his same magic, but he knows how fierce the scar makes him look so he makes no attempt to hide it.

To complete his commanding appearance, he adorns himself with many jewels, the largest of which rests upon his right hand. It is a mesmerizing stone the size of a large cherry and completely black. Looking into the stone gives one the feeling of falling into a bottomless pit. The only difference between it and the king's eyes is that the stone actually sparkles. When I think about it, I realize that I am glad that I do not have the privilege of looking my king in the eye.

No fae is permitted to look the king in the eye; to do so would be punishable by death. So I have to quickly avert mine when the king finally looks up at me with his ever-present evil smile. "Ahhh, look, everyone." At his words, the entire room becomes quiet and everyone turns their heads toward me. "Poppy has finally decided to grace us with her presence. Come, join us."

At the king's command, I make my way along the black carpet to the base of his dais, ignoring the way his words make me feel. "Of course, Your Majesty," is my only response as I take my place at the foot of the stairs leading up to the king's throne. The king is well aware of the fact that I not only came the moment I was summoned, but also that I have been present during the
entertainment portion
of his afternoon. He is being sarcastic and insulting in hopes that I might show some sort of defiance. Instead, I stoop to one knee, resting my arms on my bent knee, with my head bowed to show respect and devotion to my king.

"Poppy, we are at war against the seelie fae. I have no doubt the outcome will be in our favor, but you know I do not like to leave anything to chance. Our army is undoubtedly stronger, with many fierce warriors, but I would still like to recruit others to strengthen our forces." His booming voice echoes throughout the entire throne room, commanding any who hear it to listen and obey without question.

I am no exception, and do so without hesitation. "Of course, Your Majesty." My head is still bent, but my voice is strong and sure, just as the king would expect from one of his warriors.

"I have another mission for you. I need you to go to the human world to retrieve a halfling."

My posture stiffens and I want to raise my eyes in defiance at this command, but I know that is what he wants. I can almost hear the smile in his voice. King Foxglove takes great pleasure in making those beneath him do things they do not wish to do. Again, I am no exception to his taunting. He is well aware of my feelings about the human world and of humans in general. I am one of his best warriors for the assignment, but I think he sends me on more missions not because of my skill, but because of how miserable it makes me.

He also takes great pleasure in punishing those who defy or question him. For this reason, I keep my head bowed and force myself to respond appropriately. "Of course, Your Majesty."

"Very good, Poppy," he says smugly, knowing how much I despise this assignment, but also knowing that I will do whatever he asks of me. "See Damien so that he may give you the details of your mission." I am not surprised by this command. I go on missions often and although the king is the one to inform me of a new one, I always meet with Damien for more detailed instructions.

"Of course, Your Majesty," I reply obediently but do not rise, not until the king officially dismisses me. As much as I hate the task that is set before me, I am faithful to my king and would never show him any disrespect. He commands all that goes on in his kingdom, including entering and leaving his presence. Therefore I wait patiently and quietly with my head bowed until the king gives his command. To do otherwise could cost a fae her life.

This time the king is merciful and after only a few moments he dismisses me with a distracted command of, "You may go". Something else has already begun to occupy him and I am surprised he did not forget to dismiss me altogether, leaving me there for much longer. As loyal as I am to my court, I am well aware that Foxglove is a cruel king and often finds his enjoyment in others' suffering as well as tests of loyalty and obedience.

As I walk toward the throne room doors, my eyes remain cast downward until I have cleared the threshold. Only then do I look up, seeking out Damien.

Damien is not only my commander and leader as the second-in-command of the unseelie army, but he has also been my guardian and instructor since I was old enough to begin my training. I do not really remember when I went from being with my parents to being cared for by Damien; in fact, I do not remember my parents at all. My only clue that my upbringing was unusual came as I observed other children with their parents and realized it was more common to be raised with them than separated from them.

When I first noticed this, I'd asked Damien where my parents were and why they did not care for me. He'd informed me that my parents were killed during a battle with the seelie court, and he was appointed my guardian. As he was such a fierce warrior, it only came naturally that he would also become my instructor later.

I started my training with Damien on one of my early birthdays. Usually children were not permitted to start battle training until they reached early adulthood, but Damien did not agree. Seeing my acceptance of what happened to my parents and my determination for revenge, he deemed me ready and presented me with my first weapon the morning of my tenth birthday. It was a pair of daggers. The hilts were wrapped in strips of black leather that crisscrossed over one another, making a sturdy grip. The blades were silver but the metal was so dark that they were almost black, with hints of burgundy streaking up toward the tips like flames of a fire. I was surprised by how well I took to using them, almost as if they had been crafted specifically for me. My fingers brush the hilt of one of those daggers now, returning me to the present and reminding me of my purpose.

Although it is mostly quiet, I hear hints of music and laughter coming from the different doorways as I pass and occasionally witness a fae stumble out of one room and into another. I even hear muffled screams or sobs, but none of this is unusual for the unseelie court. The unseelie fae are an evil, cruel crowd, but they are also a boisterous and mischievous group that never misses an opportunity for a loud party with plenty of fae wine. Because this is a normal occurrence, I do not even spare a glance toward these activities. If I think too hard on what they are doing and how I may feel about that, I could lose sight of my purpose. I have a mission, one that I am not too happy about, and the sooner I complete it, the sooner I can return to the privacy of my own room. In order to do that, I have to speak with Damien.

As per our usual routine, he is at the end of the hall waiting for me, just outside the main dining room. When I approach, he nods a stiff greeting as he silently falls into step beside me. We continue down the hall side by side, heading toward the east garden, both remaining silent until we reach the privacy of the garden.

The faery realm consists of acres and acres of gardens and forests. No matter if one is unseelie or seelie, the single thing all fae have in common is their love of nature. Within the faery forest, there are endless sprawling countryside's full of flowers and wondrous creatures. There are trees that are beautiful beyond imagination. They grow so tall it looks as if they reach the clouds, their branches enveloping the sky as if it were swathed in a warm embrace. But the faery forest is not always a safe place to enjoy nature, so there are gardens within the protective wall of the castle.

The east garden has an undeniable beauty that I cannot help but to be drawn to. It is an oasis that allows me to breathe fresh air and commune with nature. Upon entering the garden, I am immediately greeted by the sound of birds chirping and the cool breeze of early spring kissing my skin. Sweet smells of various flowers fill my lungs as I take a deep breath and glance at my surroundings. The garden is contained within shimmering white walls barely visible beneath the lush, deep green vines growing over them. The vines are covered in bold and brilliant multicolored flowers, all of which bloom consistently throughout the year. These hybrid flowers have been cultivated by the fae using natural flowers mixed with just a bit of magic. They are grown for their breathtaking beauty and heavenly aromas and they never fail to live up to their potential. The flowers and shrubs are meticulously maintained, just as all the gardens in the faery realm are.

My eyes move past the lush greenery to the decorations that are just as precisely placed. Marble statues are scattered throughout the garden, helping the vivid colors of the foliage stand out. They vary in size and depict important faeries throughout the long history of the fae. There is a cobblestone path that winds around the statues and leads to the middle of the round garden where, in the very center, a small pond contains dozens of multicolored fish. Bold and vividly colored, they move rapidly throughout the water, skimming the surface in a way that looks like tiny rainbows are streaking through the liquid.

On either side of the pond are wooden benches. They are fae made and consist of intricate patterns of branches woven in and out of each other. The branches twist and turn around one another, giving the appearance that the pattern formed naturally, not by the magical hand of a fae. Damien takes a seat on one of these benches and I sit beside him. He waves his hand to cast a minor spell that will keep anyone else from entering the garden until we have completed our conversation. I cast a covert glance his way as he does this, hoping to catch a glimpse of his mood. His face is blank but I am not surprised by this. Damien is very good at controlling his emotions, so much so that I often wonder if he has any at all.

He catches me watching him and I quickly square my shoulders as I tamp down on my instinct to look away. If he knew the thoughts that occasionally went through my mind… well, I am not sure what the consequences would be, but I do know that they would not be pleasant. He narrows his eyes for a moment before he pulls a paper from the breast pocket of his jacket and hands it to me. Using that as an excuse to move my gaze from his, I open the paper that will contain my orders as Damien explains them.

"Poppy, I know you just returned from a mission, but the king is growing restless. He wants all of the halflings from the human world brought here, and as you're one of the only warriors that seem to be able to complete your missions in a timely manner without causing more problems that I have to go clean up, you are being sent out again." I hear the anger in his voice as he says this. Most of the warriors that are sent on similar missions tend to
play
with the halflings or humans before bringing them back. I prefer to be more professional, which is why I complete my assignments much faster than most.

"I understand," I tell him as I glance over the material on the first page of the information I will need to find the halfling.

"This mission is going to be a bit different this time." Forgetting the paper in my hands, my gaze flies to Damien's when he speaks again. The tone of his voice changes, just barely, but enough to have me concerned. "You are to retrieve a halfling from the human world as usual; however, you will be working with a shorter time frame."

"That should not be an issue. I have never needed all of the allotted time before," I answer, still waiting for the reason why.

"The seelie queen is threatening to close our portals to the human world in order to hinder our recruitment of the halflings."

Our king is convinced that the secret to winning the war is to use his unseelie armies to their fullest capacity. In order to do this, he sends me out to collect the halflings of the unseelie court and bring them back to him, where he then forces them to fight as well. The queen does not agree with this tactic, and it seems this is her latest effort to try and stop him.

"How is it possible for the seelie queen to override our powers and close our portals?" I ask, disbelief in my voice. The amount of power it would take for her to do that is greater than I can even imagine.

Damien's answer mirrors my thoughts. "It would take a lot of power, and His Majesty does not think she has the ability to accomplish this, which is why he is not postponing this assignment."

"Then why am I limited on my time? Not that it is going to pose a problem. I am quite certain I will be able to complete the mission quickly." My earlier disbelief morphs into utter confidence.

"I am certain as well. However, the new threat does make the king much more eager to have as many halflings as possible at his disposal, which is why he is sending you out again so soon. I only felt the need to inform you of the queen's threat so you would be aware of the situation and know how to plan accordingly."