We peered around, shocked to find the palace eerily silent and still, like someone had hit pause on a DVD player.
"What have you done?" Shade"s voice quivered, and I soon realized that she, along with the rest of us, didn"t truly know the extent of Oran"s powers. They would have amplified with Aveta"s death since he was now one of the last descendants of Arthas. An Ancient"s power was equally divided amongst their descendants. When there were many, they were weaker than if there"d been only one descendant to contain all the power at once, like Shade had with Kilara"s power, the summer Ancient who was currently MIA. With Aveta out of the way, how powerful had he become?
"I have no quarrel with the Seelie court, Your Majesty. I do, however, accept Anna"s proposal to become my wife. May our union serve as a truce between our courts." He looked tired. "May we leave now?"
This couldn"t be happening. No, no, no.
"There"s no way my sister is going to marry you." I grabbed Oran"s shirt, balling it in my hands and glowering at the Unseelie king.
"Benton." Anna frowned. She stepped closer to us, placing a hand on mine and zapping me.
"Ow!" I released my hold and rubbed furiously at my skin. It buzzed like a swarm of ants were stinging me. "What"d you do that for?" Obviously she"d been studying different types of magic since I"d last seen her.
Anna frowned. "You don"t know him, so don"t go judging who people are before you"ve spent a significant time with them."
"Neither do you!" I wanted to reach out and shake her.
"I know this is right." Her voice sounded more grown up than I"d ever heard her, and my hope of convincing her washed away with it.
"But you"re too young. You"re sixteen and ... and ..."
"I"m seventeen now." She jutted out her chin in defiance, and I realized that I"d missed her birthday while on the hunt for Oran.
Well, c.r.a.p.
"I"m sorry I wasn"t there for your birthday. But come on, this guy? Really?"
Anna pressed her lips tightly together. She managed to keep quiet and crossed her arms, standing her ground. If my mother had been alive, she would have been be all over this place, hollering like n.o.body"s business. It might have been a good thing that she wasn"t.
"Anna?" Shade laid a hand on Anna"s shoulder, pleading with her eyes. I could tell there was no going back from what had happened. It was a done deal. My heart felt slashed open and poured out a deep, aching need to smack the living c.r.a.p out of Oran. After almost killing me, he had the gall to come to my sister"s kingdom to steal my blood away with him to the Unseelie Castle, of all places.
"Shade ..." Anna took Shade"s hand into hers and gave it a good squeeze, a sad smile gracing her lips. "Let me do this for us. It will be my pleasure to keep the peace between our courts. Besides, I have family there, too; Evangeline and Jack are there to help me out whenever I need them, right? I"ll be okay."
Shade nodded, though I could see silent tears spilling down her reddened cheeks. She couldn"t say anything, though, and looked like she was choking on her sobs.
"Hey," I said, letting Anna reach over to pull me into a tight hug. "So how does this work anyway? Doesn"t the Withering Palace only obey its chosen?" I pointed toward Shade. "Shade was chosen after Aveta died. How does she give you that power?" I was definitely curious and wondered how Anna would control the Unseelie palace without Shade.
Anna peered at Shade, and our sister reached out to hold both of Anna"s hands in hers and let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"Anna, my dear little sister. I, queen of the Seelie Scren court, hereby transfer the power of the Withering Palace to you and you alone." She glared at Oran, spiting him with these words. "May the Land of Faerie witness this gift and bind it to its rightful wielder forever."
Just like that, it was over. No fireworks, no sparks or rumble of earth. I was a bit disappointed with the lack of a show, but Anna was beaming as she turned back toward Oran, a guy she didn"t even know, and gave him a sweet smile. He actually smiled back.
Creepy.
I shook my head, still unhappy with her decision. The bodies around us were still in suspended animation, and I waved toward them.
"Hey! What are you going to do about them?"
Oran waved his hand in the air again, and the warriors all dropped to the ground. They peered around the room, shocked and confused.
"Enough! The truce has been made. No more fighting." His voice boomed across the room, and Shade turned to walk toward her throne. As she silently sank back onto the seat, her glum face met Nyol, and a silent order pa.s.sed between them. Nyol kept his reaction under control and turned toward the troops, signaling them to stand down.
The soldiers stared at one another before retreating to opposite sides of the room, picking up their fallen as they separated into two groups, Seelie and Unseelie, two opposing realms in one room, forced to accept one another. Regardless of whether they liked it or not, we had a truce, and there would be no more fighting in the palace.
Faerie was at peace. But for how long?
Chapter Twenty-Five Murky Future.
Murky Future
Leaning over the banister, I watched the procession leaving the Scren Palace. I didn"t want to wave goodbye to Anna anymore. She appeared happy, sitting on her own horse next to Oran, waving out to the crowds of familiar faeries. There"d be less familiarity at the Withering Palace, and I wondered what the dark power of the Unseelie Realm would do to my beautiful sister. How nave she was to think this would turn out well for all of us. This was the first time our family would be split up permanently, and I wasn"t the only one taking it hard.
Shade had retreated to her room with Dylan and was probably watching the procession from their balcony overlooking the main road to the palace. James was the only one left downstairs in the throne room, flanked by the royal guards Nyol and Nautilus. He stayed to watch his sister go and had hugged her tightly until the guards were forced to pry him off of her. She"d then hoisted herself up on her favorite horse, one she"d keep with her at the Withering Palace. A land far, far away.
That"d been my cue to retreat to my room to sulk in seclusion.
Exhaustion flowed through my body like an old friend, familiar and annoying, but rea.s.suring me that I was still alive. Still breathing, still whole. Even so, the flickers of the early morning light made my eyes burn. The events of the night made me want to slam the doors to the balcony shut and bury myself under a heap of blankets and pillows. I badly needed a bath, and the days stuck to me in grit, dirt, blood, sweat and tears.
Closing the doors to the bathroom behind me, I launched myself into a semi-robotic routine to get myself cleaned up to feel human again. I scrubbed the layers of battle, fighting and loss surrounding me right off my skin until I emerged feeling brand new but still hollow.
The emptiness inside from losing my sister to a sinister foe remained, like a black pit of regret leaching off my energy as I dropped onto the ma.s.sive bed in my rarely used bedroom.
Before drifting off to sleep, I was thankful for the potion Braelynn had given me earlier to keep the nightmares away. All I wanted was the bliss of dreamless, restful sleep where there was no fighting, no sorrow. Even if it was temporary, I didn"t want to awaken for at least eight solid hours.
I awoke before dinner, when the sun was still hanging over the mountains and the palace was busy, abuzz with people. I dressed and packed my pack, strapping it onto my back as I peered around the room one more time. It was homey and restful, but I rarely stayed there. I didn"t know why Shade insisted I have a permanent room at the palace. It never had felt like home. I had a feeling Shade would leave Anna"s room intact for a very long time.
Heading to get a bite of food since I hadn"t really eaten much the past few days, I wished I was back at our home in the forest near Portland. I wasn"t cut out for royal life. All around me were familiar faces, but I wanted the quiet of my childhood home. It was basically mine anyway. No one would be returning to it, and it needed a defense against other magical beings since the family Pyren was hidden there. I thought about moving the Pyren to the Scren Palace but immediately realized that the Land of Faerie wouldn"t be happy to have such human elemental magic within its boundaries.
Back home it was. I couldn"t wait, even though I"d miss Shade and James. Still, seeing Anna betroth herself to the Unseelie leader made my anger surge. I"d falsely believed they"d be safe in the Scren Palace, in Faerie. I couldn"t have been more wrong. Now Anna was gone from us forever, and there was nothing any of us could do about it.
Nothing.
The dining room was already bustling with servants rushing about and Shade"s advisors lined up in their chairs, looking joyous with the announcement of the truce. It all looked mighty official, but I couldn"t join in the fun. How could they feel so excited with peace when my family had just paid a hefty price for it? I just slumped on in and slid into a chair next to Shade and across from Dylan.
Sometimes it was good to have the Seelie queen as your sister, especially when it meant you were served ahead of everyone else.
Immediately my plate was piled high with eggs, fruit, bread and syrupy sweet cakes alongside a gla.s.s of freshly squeezed orange juice. I felt spoiled getting served, but I let them do their jobs. The servants looked happy to do so, and the positive energy floated about the room turned out to be highly contagious. I even met Shade"s smile with a rare one of my own.
"Heading out again?" she asked. This time she was too tired to lecture me about leaving. Or maybe she felt it was futile to attempt to have me stay.
I nodded. "You know me. Restless. Besides, the Pyren can"t stay unguarded forever." I took a swallow of juice, enjoying the faery magic tainting it. Nothing tasted as good as faery food, and I would definitely miss it when I left. "There"s still Unseelie to round up, too."
She fingered her goblet of juice as she zoned out, momentarily pensive. "There should be tons of them returning now that an Unseelie is back on throne. He"ll probably pardon them all."
I laughed. "Guess we"ll just have to see how it goes. The prospect of some peace around here is very appealing." I was still chuckling, but I felt like a fraud, saying words that didn"t settle well with me.
Shade frowned, folding her hands into her lap. "It"ll go fine. Don"t ever think otherwise."
"I know. It"s just ..." I leaned forward, wishing for more privacy. "You know how it always goes wrong, right? You of all people should know how wrong it all can turn."
"Yes, I know." Shade"s tight-lipped expression returned, and I felt bad for ruining her meal. "Still, I"m hopeful. Never lose hope."
I lifted my drink for a toast. Shade and Dylan followed suit. "Never lose hope," I said. "I"ll drink to that."
The gla.s.ses clinked like tiny bells ringing, heralding the future.
Chapter Twenty-Six Sweet Surrender.
Sweet Surrender
"You"re really leaving again?" Sary walked briskly next to me as I made my way through the gardens of the Scren Palace. I was leaving and had run into her exiting the palace. Seeing her was bittersweet, both exhilarating and sorrowful at the same time.
"Yep, really leaving." I shifted my pack on my back as I peered around the shrubs. I decided to take a long walk around the palace grounds before leaving, just to take it all in, hoping to relax the tension in my body. It helped, but I hadn"t expected to run into Sary as I roamed about.
"You don"t have to."
I stopped dead and turned to face her. She was beautiful. Her bright red hair looked like the fire that flickered along my Empyrean blade, and her green eyes were something I"d dreamt of many times. The thought made me blush, so I looked away toward the ground.
"I have to go. There are things I need to do. I"ve still got this mission to clean up the world from the escaped Unseelie who"ve not returned under Oran"s rule. Plus, our Pyren is unprotected. If anyone got hold of the magic there, it could devastate my family."
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and the guilt ripping through me was just too much. "There"s no reason for me to stay here. I"ve got to go." I gave her a slight smile. If only she"d give me a reason, any reason to stay, I"d consider it. "See you later, Sary."
I stepped off and rushed through the labyrinth of orchids and shrubs which filled the air with their vibrant spring scents. I wanted to inhale the forest again, feel the mulch under my feet crunching away as I strolled through the Oregon woods. If anything, it would help me keep her off my mind. I also wanted that soda I"d left behind when Oran"s tribe ambushed Paki and me. There were so many things I wanted and so many things I couldn"t have. The pain of this made me fight back the sting of angry tears.
"Benton ... wait!"
I kept on, not turning back.
"Benton!"
I halted and spun around, angered and anxious to leave. "What?"
"You should stay."
"Why?"
I was furious because I knew she didn"t know what she was saying and didn"t really mean it. Staring at her gorgeous eyes, I desperately wanted to see more of them but knew we were worlds apart, even if I was related by blood to a Seelie queen. I was human and was looked down upon by her people. They"d never accept me, so we could never be together.
"I don"t want you to leave yet. Please stay."
I exhaled. "I can"t, and you know it."
"But you can"t just be alone." She continued to look at me, but the longer she stared, the more I wanted out of there.
"Don"t do that, don"t say what you don"t mean."
"I"m not."
"You"re trying to keep me here. Trying to make yourself feel better when you know we ..." I motioned to her and back. "We can"t be together. I got that. You made your point crystal clear."
She looked hurt. "I know what I said. I"m just saying you don"t have to go yet."
My blood was boiling, and I closed my eyes. "Stop. I don"t need you anyway. I can do this without you." I swerved around and headed down a staircase where I almost tripped on the rough, uneven stones, but I made it down onto the main walkway near the main gate without making more of a fool of myself. The anger was surging though me, like an uncontrolled tsunami threatening to break the dam of the control I was desperately trying to maintain. How did she do that to me? How did she always know how to reach in and rip my heart out, draining the very blood from my veins as she watched me die a slow agonizing death from her words? She"d told me we couldn"t be together, that her people wouldn"t ever accept me. So why did it hurt so badly?
I hated her, but I loved her. I wanted to move on, but how did I move on from the only place I wanted to be? Even if I ultimately couldn"t let go of my feelings for her, I would surely try. I wished she knew me better than to string me along.
"Benton, stop!" Again, she hurried behind me, even as I walked out the gate of the Scren Palace. I contemplated using the summoning stone to escape her, but I couldn"t leave her like that.
"Go away."
"You can"t live like this. Love is just anguish. That"s all it leaves you with. Nothing else, don"t you get it? You"re left empty, like a forgotten sh.e.l.l, a relic. It"ll kill you." Her words burned like acid.
"And you know me enough to say such things?" I asked. I stopped to drill my eyes into hers once more. I couldn"t believe the words coming out of her mouth. She didn"t even know me after all this time. She didn"t know what love really was.
"Yes, I know you enough, though you may think I don"t," she said. I wanted to shout at her and make her realize she was so wrong about so many things.
I shook my head. "No, you don"t, or you wouldn"t care what anyone else says. You"ve walled yourself up, using pathetic excuses to push me away. I still believe in love, not like what you"ve done to yourself since your chosen died. You"re empty, lost, and this close to withering away. What are you going to do with your life now? Without love, without anyone else allowed anywhere near your heart? You chose to push me away." I wanted to run away and kiss her at the same time. "This is no way to live ... without the hope to love again. Why can"t you let me in?"
Sary"s eyes showed no tears. She"d lived too long to allow them to slip out for a mere mortal man like me. She was icy, flat and apathetic for the first time since we"d met. I could feel the hollow where her heart had once sat, and it made me feel pity for her.
I"d never be enough. I"d never be the person she longed for. We"d be doomed before we even started, and every time she looked at me, I"d know it wasn"t me she loved. I"d never let her live with that anguish and knowledge that my life was really just a fleeting moment compared to hers. She would never tread such a path for fear it might break her down again. I knew it now.