Forever (16 page)

Chapter 21

The next
morning when she woke up, Teague was sitting there watching her. “Would you
like to come with me?” There was a twinkle in his eye, and he looked like an
eager child.

“Where
to?” she asked hesitantly.

“Does it
matter if you get out of the cell for a while?”

“I guess
it doesn’t,” she said, moving toward the exit. “Yes. I’d like to get out
awhile—anywhere.”

He
blocked the door with his body so she almost ran into him. “Not so fast. I
can’t let you out without a warning.”

“A
warning?”

“Promise
me you’re not going to run away. Not now. Not ever,” he said softly.

She
hesitated at his tone. It wasn’t a command. Teague wasn’t demanding it of her.
He was asking her, needing her reassurance.

“I
promise.” She had to press him, find out how much he was softening toward her. She
lifted up her iron cuffs.

“No, I
can’t.” He looked disappointed in himself.

“It’s
okay.” She shrugged it off and looked back to Teague. “Let’s go.”

“Aren’t
you the eager one?” He offered a rueful smile. “Well, come along.” He held his
hand out in front of him.

For the
first time in weeks, Mina left her prison. Outside her cell, the floor moved
beneath them like an escalator as it carried them up and then left along a
passage. The bricks continued to move out of their way, opening up for them and
closing behind them after Teague passed through. Finally, they were deposited
in the main hall. She turned to watch as Teague stepped through the wall after
her, and their passage disappeared.

The
palace looked nothing like she remembered it. Gone were the elaborate
tapestries, statues, and sparkling marble columns. Instead there were fragments
of burned cloth, scorched walls and columns, and headless statues. Cobwebs and
layers of dust had laid claim to the place. She was looking at the destruction
Teague caused the day he was reunited with Jared. That day, the Fates lost the
war. He had banished them to the swamp. No hand, human or Fae, had restored the
palace to its glory.

He led
her up the winding stairs to the second floor and out onto a balcony that
overlooked the lake. She glanced across the water, imagining the invisible veil
that sat midway. One of the griffins flew low over the water. But something was
wrong with the picture.

The
surrounding lands—now as brown and ugly as the swamp where the Fates
hid—used to be green and flowing with life.

“It’s
dying,” Mina stated.

“I know,”
Teague snapped.

“Can you
stop it?”

He turned
to her, his mouth an angry line. His nostrils flared, and she could see that he
was barely keeping it under control. “I’m…I’m not sure I want to.”

“This was
your plan all along, to destroy everything you loved?”

He looked
pained, and his hand kept going to his chest and scratching. “I’m not… I don’t…
I…” He hissed between his teeth and pulled away. Turning to give her his back,
he leaned over the balcony and caught his breath.

“Teague,
what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

“No,” he
growled. A few seconds later, he straightened and turned to look back at her.
She felt uncomfortable under his gaze.

“Teague.”
Mina walked over to him. “Does this hurt?” She touched his chest.

He turned
away and mumbled. “It’s been hurting more and more lately. It’s enough to drive
someone mad. But I ignore it. The pain makes me weak.”

“No,
ignoring your feelings is weakness. Listening to your heart is a sign of
strength.”

“That
being said from a girl.”

“I may be
a girl, but I can kick your butt…in a game anyway.”

He
snorted. “I know how uncoordinated you are.”

She
shrugged. “Okay, I’ll cheat. That’s the Fae way, isn’t it?”

He
grimaced. “Yeah, it
is
our motto.”

Mina
reached for his hand. He immediately stiffened.

“Why am I
here, Teague? What do you want with me?”

“I don’t
know anymore,” he said simply, and he walked off, leaving her alone on the
balcony. She waited a few minutes, gazing out across the dying land, but he didn’t
return.

This was
a test. It had to be. She wanted to believe he really didn’t know, that he was
changing. But part of her feared he was waiting somewhere to see if she’d run
away, so he’d have an excuse to kill her on the spot. The poison in his heart
wasn’t his fault, but it certainly made him dangerous to try to predict.

She
retraced her steps through the empty palace. Where was everyone? There were no
servants, no guards, barely any signs of life. And what little there were
seemed to be dying. The large double doors of the main hall taunted her,
tempting her to try and escape. But she was invested. She needed to follow
through for so many reasons. Her pulse raced, wishing it were as easy as
walking away, but it couldn’t be.

Besides,
she didn’t have the seam ripper. And if she did leave, Teague would have every
excuse to destroy her brother and friends.

This was
the test. He wanted her to break her word, so he could destroy everything
important to her.

She
clenched her fists and headed in the opposite direction. She would not be the
one to break her promise. Teague was a trickster, a cheat, and a liar—the
most dangerous one alive.

After a
few turns, her little Fae light surprised her in the hall—at least she
thought it was her Fae light.

“Can you
take me back to my room please?” she asked.

The light
bobbed in response and floated about happily. Mina followed with cautious steps
down a wing with double doors on the end. The light stopped in front of a door
on the left, not quite at the end.

“This
can’t be the door to my room. There was no door. We traveled through the walls
and ended up…” She turned and tried to follow the direction of the walls with
her eyes. She shrugged and opened the door.

It was
her room—as far as she could tell. But this time, when she entered, she
made sure to wedge a book in the doorway to keep it from closing and locking
her inside. She didn’t want to upset Teague, but she also didn’t want to be
locked in again.

She
waited hours. He never returned to either lock her door or close it.

The next
morning, she changed clothes and ate the food delivered to her. Then she
decided to explore the palace. There had to be someone left. She found her way
to the sitting rooms, where she had waited during the choosing ceremony. The
wing full of rooms the girls had stayed in, the library, and the palace
kitchen—all of them empty.

The
kitchen was depressing. Everything had been abandoned, left as it was when the
servants ran away or disappeared. Old bread on the table was hard and dry,
dirty pots and plates left in the sink. No fire had been made in ages, which
meant no food had been prepared recently here either. So whoever was preparing
her meals wasn’t doing it from the kitchens. She did find buckets, mops, soap,
and the water pump. She could do more than just mope around the palace.

She spent
a few hours working in the kitchen, cleaning out the fireplace, finding the
woodshed, and restocking the logs in the grate. She found some kindling and
searched for a way to start the fire but was at a loss. She couldn’t find any
matches. Then she noticed an odd red Fae light hanging just outside the window.

Mina
opened the window, and it came in and moved toward her stack of logs,
brightening. She jumped as a spark of light shot out, and her kindling lit. A
few seconds later, she heard the crackle of wood and could feel the glow of the
fire. Mina blew on the flame and fed it more kindling until a steady fire
burned.

She
smiled at the Fae light. “Thank you.”

Mina
heated water over the fire and brought it carefully to the sink and added soap
shavings from a jar on the shelf. She washed dishes for what seemed like hours.
More Fae lights joined her, watching her move about the kitchen as she tried
her best to put things away. If she moved a pot to the wrong spot, a light
would move over and direct her to the right place.

Soon, she
began to talk to the lights like she did her personal light, the one that
watched over her in her room. And she realized they were all different. Some
were larger than the others. Some had a hint of a different color. Some moved
slowly. Others zipped about the kitchen.

She
laughed as a few of the lights seemed to get in a tizzy over who got to guide
her. One of them began to pull on her shirt, and Mina followed as it led her to
a wooden chair. She sat down and watched as two of the larger Fae lights
attempted to move a large broom between them. Two more joined in and, all
together, they were able to sweep the floor.

Entertained,
Mina clapped in encouragement to them, and they shone brighter. But something
suddenly startled them, and they scattered, hiding.

Teague
stood behind her, surprised.

“What did
you do?”

“Cleaned.”
Why did she feel unsure now of all she and her Fae friends had accomplished?

“Why?”

“It
needed to be done and…” She paused in thought before answering. “And because it
made me happy.”

He gave
her the most disgusted look, and she had to cover her mouth to hide her smile.
It really did make her happy. She had found a purpose, something to occupy her
thoughts from worry.

“Like
mother like daughter,” he said as he gazed around the kitchen, his face
unreadable.

He said
that as if it were an insult, not a compliment, and his careless words stabbed
at her barely healed heart. She tried to not let him know how much those words
hurt her.

“I
guess,” she answered stiffly.

“You did
this by yourself?”

“I had
help from the lights.”

He turned
to her in surprise. “Really? Interesting. Where are they now?”

“I’m not
sure.” She glanced around the kitchen and couldn’t find a single one.

Teague
gave her an odd stare and abruptly left. It took a few minutes before she could
get her heart rate under control. She thought she was in trouble.

She made
herself get back to cleaning and, after a few minutes, the Fae lights came out
of hiding. They helped her tackle the hallway. They swept, mopped, and washed
the high arched windows. Before she knew it, it was evening, and she was
famished. When she returned to her room, warm food waited. She devoured it all
and slept soundly, her door never closing.

The next
morning when she went to the kitchen for soap and water, even more Fae lights
greeted her.

“Are you
here to help?”

They
bobbed and blinked excitedly.

“Well,
then we need to take down the remnants of the old tapestries, and we need to
replace or repair the paintings. I hate to get rid of them, but they need to be
fixed. Can you handle that?”

Before
she had even finished, a third of the lights dashed out the open window.
Another group—the ones she figured she worked with yesterday—worked
together to carry large pots to the pump.

Mina went
out to the main hall with a bucket and started gathering large pieces of the
broken column. She didn’t know how they were actually going to clean up the
pillar. She definitely wasn’t strong enough to move it.

The
double door behind her banged wide open, and she smelled it before she dared
turn to look. A large fur-covered beast stood peering over her shoulder.

Chapter 22

Mina
swallowed a scream and scrambled backward, tripping over the rubble she was
trying to clear. The white-haired beast stared at her, its gruesome teeth
lifting into a half-smile, making her knees shake. He was huge—easily
over twelve feet tall—with white and gray tufted fur covering his whole
body. His nose was apelike, and his teeth were large and flat. Her first
thought was
Yeti
.

His
furred hand reached for her, and she rolled out of the way, scraping her
stomach across the sharp pieces of marble and stone. When she stopped moving,
she had time to notice it wasn’t attacking. It was actually hefting the large
broken column onto its shoulders and turning to walk back out the doors. A few
minutes later, he returned and picked up another piece of the colonnade and
dragged it out.

“Careful,”
Mina called out, utterly relieved. “We don’t want to scratch the floors.”

A long
rumbling sound echoed from the thing. She wasn’t sure, but it could’ve been
laughter. She worked side by side with the furred beast for a good part of the
afternoon. He took down the broken tapestries and paintings and put them on the
floor, and he cleared the rooms of the large debris, stone, and destroyed
doors.

The Fae
lights returned and worked on cleaning the scorch marks from the walls and
clearing cobwebs.

The beast
carefully opened up another door and entered the throne room. Mina followed at
a distance. This room was the worst. Both of the Royal thrones were destroyed,
burned to a crisp. The curtains were in a pile on the floor, and the portrait
of the Fates had been blown up. All that was left was the frame.

They got
to work cleaning up the throne room, and it felt weird. She wanted the palace
to be put back together, but she didn’t know why. Maybe the Fae part of her
soul wanted order restored. More Fae lights came in to help, and the yeti
cleared out the destroyed chairs. Within a few hours, even the pillars were
fixed.

“Well,
now that it’s cleaned, what do we do? We can’t leave it empty.” Mina said to
the Fae lights as she looked around the Great Hall.

A small
Fae light spun in circles to get her attention, signaling her to follow it. It
led her up the stairs and down an empty hall to a large storage room. The beast
followed her, always a few yards back.

The Fae
light zipped into the locking mechanism, and the lock grew brighter from
within. A loud click followed, and the door swung outward to reveal darkness.

The Fae
light pulled on a curtain, and a few seconds later, the room was bathed in
light. Mina gasped. It was like walking into a museum. There were tapestries,
paintings, and statues all carefully stored on swinging racks or marble
shelves.

She took
her time walking among the paintings and studying each and every one, while the
yeti waited in the hallway. Quite a few paintings depicted the Fates at various
celebrations or events.

Mina
paused when she came to one in particular. Teague was obviously happy, excited
about something. The joy, deep in his eyes, made her wish desperately that she
knew how to make him look that way again.

The
painting showed his betrothal ceremony.

She
remembered that day. The artist had captured the moment perfectly. Teague stood
in front of the twelve girls who would take part in the choosing ceremony. Most
of the girls’ faces were hidden, since the painting portrayed them looking up
at Teague, but Mina could easily recognize Ever’s long black hair, Annalora’s
gold-blonde locks and her deep amber dress. She smiled when she recognized
Dinah’s beautiful tanned skin and dark green hair. But there was one girl who
wasn’t looking at the prince, one girl whose head was slightly turned toward the
painter, and he had captured her worried expression as she looked for an escape
route. She wore an elegant white dress of moon crystals and feathers. The
painter had centered her in the painting, the only one of the twelve whose face
was visible.

And it
was also obvious that the prince was looking straight at her. Even now, Mina’s
stomach filled with butterflies at seeing his reaction to her.

“This
one. I want this one in the throne room.” Mina pointed to the painting.

The Fae
lights carefully entered and took the painting out.

Mina
paused and moved to the next painting—another of the ceremony, although
she couldn’t remember when it took place. Teague stood in the middle, with the
final four girls on either side of him. Most of the girls were smiling and
trying to appear as regal as they could. Only Mina, next to Annalora, looked as
if she wanted to be somewhere else. And once again, Teague was staring at her
over Annalora’s head. It was obvious that the artist had figured out, before
everyone else did, the story being played out. He could see the feelings Teague
had for her.

The next
portrait made her step back. Teague’s Royal engagement portrait. He stood tall
and proud, his face lacking the joy so obvious in the earlier paintings as he
held the hand of his future bride. It wasn’t Mina.

Teague
held Ever’s hand.

She
stopped, unable to look at any more. She wanted to run out of there and hide
from all of her mistakes. How could that painting be true? The artist had
captured so many moments of the choosing, but this seemed out of place. Ever
hadn’t made it to the tower. Mina had.

Maybe she
wasn’t supposed to make it.

Mina was
confused and taken aback, and then she was filled with guilt again.

She
pushed back her feelings and moved on to the next painting—another
engagement portrait. But this one featured Teague and Annalora. Curiosity
pushed her to keep moving the frames, and she wasn’t surprised when she noticed
a third depicting Dinah and Teague. Three engagement portraits painted for
three possible outcomes.

Longing
to see her own portrait with Teague, she searched the whole room top to bottom.
It wasn’t there. Puzzled and a bit annoyed, she moved on with her original task
and picked some tapestries. She chose fantastically colored pieces featuring the
woods, mountains, and valleys—the life of the Fae world.

Then Mina
came to a section that housed the thrones, and the yeti joined her. She studied
the various matching sets of ornate chairs and saw some inlaid with gold,
others with diamonds and gems. But none of them fit Teague. Then she spotted a
dark ebony chair with a deep blue cushion. She could make out fine engraved
detail in the wood. It was masculine but not flashy.

“What do
you think of this chair for him?” There was no need to say who she meant. Both
she and the yeti knew it was for Teague.

He
paused, tilting his head in thought. Then he grunted. He moved forward and
picked up a set, one in each hand.

“No, just
one throne.”

He turned
and gave her a steely look before giving her his back and shuffling out the
door with both chairs. She winced when the wood door slammed against the outer
wall as he exited.

After she
had picked everything she thought Teague would like, she left and locked the
room. By the time she entered the throne room, it was finished. The yeti and
the Fae lights had hung the new curtains, tapestries, and painting. She stopped
mid-step when she saw the chairs she had picked out for Teague sitting on the
dais.

One was
occupied by a ghost from past.

“Playing
house, I see.” Annalora smiled cruelly. Her braided hair hung over her
shoulder. The olive green of her dress made her look sickly—or maybe her
gnome heritage was simply showing through.

“What are
you doing here?” Mina asked, defensive.

“I should
ask you the same thing. You shouldn’t be here.”

“I’m not
exactly here willingly. But why are
you
here, Annalora?”

“I’m
coming to pay my respects to my prince and offer my services,” she answered
snidely.

“What
services would he need from you?” Mina scoffed.

Annalora’s
face turned ugly and red. “Teague’s banished the king and queen. I’ve talked to
them, and they have no intention of attacking him and retaking the throne. They
are waiting for another solution. So I’ve come up with my own.”

“Which
is?” Mina asked sarcastically, knowing the Fates were waiting on her to solve
their dilemma.

“Our
world is dying. A queen should know what that means.” Her eyes narrowed. “I
do.”

“This is
not my home. So I don’t exactly keep up to date on Fae World 101.” Mina said,
pretending to not care.

Annalora
sneered. “All good things come to those who are patient. And I am very patient.
You don’t belong here, Mina. You never did. If you hadn’t’ve shown up, none of
this would have happened.” Annalora gestured to the palace.

“You’re
the one who killed Dinah and tried to kill Ever and me.” Mina stepped forward.

Annalora
stiffened but continued. “Well, I blame you for stealing the throne from me.”

“That’s
all you ever cared about. The throne. You never cared about the prince, just
his title and position.

“That’s
how it should be.” Annalora’s voice rose in anger. “The job comes first. You
don’t need love to rule. I know that. Teague knows that. All of the Fates
before married for power, not love. Her voice calmed, and she took a deep
breath. “But I also thank you for returning my throne to me. Giving me a second
chance.” She rubbed her hands along the dark ebony wood.

Mina
wanted to march up there and yank her out of the chair by her hair. “The throne
will never be yours.”

“Teague
will have to choose someone eventually,” Annalora answered slyly. “Why not me?
Besides, you’re the one who betrayed him and made him this way. Not that I’m
complaining. I kind of like him ruthless. And I can see by the iron cuffs that
you’ve not redeemed yourself. You’re nothing more than a slave.”

The whole
time they argued, the Fae lights had darted in and out of the room, clearly
alarmed by Annalora’s sudden appearance.

Mina felt
the build-up of power and sensed Teague’s approach moments before the Fae
lights disappeared. Teague marched down the room and stood in front of
Annalora, who quickly jumped up and out of the throne.

“My
King.” She spoke softly and curtsied.

Teague’s
eyebrow rose in question, and he turned to give Mina a look as if to ask why
she didn’t show him the same respect.

“Annalora,
what a surprise to see you here.” Teague kept his voice neutral.

“It
shouldn’t be, considering the signs. I knew when the river dried up that you
would need to choose. I’m only sorry I didn’t come sooner.” She stood and
gently placed her hand on her chest, trying to show how saddened she really
was.

Mina’s
mind was flooded with questions, but she didn’t want to interrupt.

“So
you’ve come expecting what exactly?”

“Nothing
more than a second chance.”

“That’s
an interesting proposition.”

“One only
a fool would turn down in this predicament,” Annalora answered. “And you and I
know that neither of us are fools.”

“No. That
we are not,” Teague answered respectfully. “I didn’t think ruling would drain
me this fast.”

“It’s
because you’ve brought your armies across the planes and back again. That takes
a lot of power, and the balance is off. But if you accept me, we will be
unstoppable. I’ll help you destroy the human plane.”

Mina
tried to hide her shock. If taking his whole army across the planes and coming
back weakened him and drained him, that must be why he’d kept them away from
the palace. He couldn’t risk being further drained, and he would never risk
losing control.

If there
was even the slightest chance that he would take Annalora up on that offer,
then Mina needed to get back and warn the others. Maybe she
could
escape and get away if she caught
him at a weak moment.

“You give
me much to think about Annalora.” Teague stepped up onto the dais and turned to
sit on the throne with Annalora standing near the other chair.

Mina
couldn’t handle the rush of emotions she felt at seeing them next to each
other, when she’d done all this work to make Teague smile, so she spun and left
the room.

Once
again, Annalora wasn’t going to stop until she ruined everything. Mina had no
choice but to stop her.