Page 80 of Fae Unleashed
Here, in the earthy dark of the castle dungeon, I felt the heartbeat of the domain. I could hear the whispered snores of those still sleeping and knew exactly who I was fighting for. It didn’t matter if I wanted to stay or not. I just had to survive tonight with the castle and my domain intact.
As I sat and pressed my hands to the floor so I could shove untamed arcana into the foundation, I thought about Rhoan. My heart stretched taut. If anything happened to him…
My arcana conjured roots and squeezed the foundation together and held it firm. If only I could have been as steady. Without Rhoan, I didn’t quite know what to do.
31
RHOAN
Together, Morgan and I broke free from the forest. We beat at the air with our wings and rose above the dark canopy bathed in night. In my heart, I knew where to go. My feelings for Cerri had pushed me too close to the edge of my curse. From that ledge, I could feel Faust’s pull. I knew where he was at all times.
We slipped from one domain into another, almost without notice. I sensed the subtle shift in the landscape. A blue spirit glow shimmered around everything, turning the ground below into an ominous, ever shifting, sea of shadows.
Of course, my thoughts turned to Cerri. I hoped that she was home, resting with the small fae. They took good care of her, and I trusted them to pamper her. If I was lucky, they would have the princess so distracted that she barely had time to miss me.
By the time she realized I was gone, I would have ended Faust once and for all.
A grove of bare, bonelike trees appeared ahead. The center of it glowed with that same blue light that wreathed everything. It was death, but not quite. It was as if Faust reached into the depths of the void and pulled out the spirits of his Sluagh kicking and screaming. Their wrath at being alive infected everything.
In the center of the grove stood a single man. His lithe form flickered and shimmered with something more monstrous. His torso was lengthened and bent. His head took on the shape of a horse’s skull with limp hair dangling over one side. He looked up, and blue light flashed wildly in his eyes.
Inhuman arms spread wide, Faust welcomed us. He’d been expecting us.
I knew then that I should have turned back. We didn’t have to engage Faust on his terms or on his turf. A selfish part of me persisted. If we could defeat him here, then I would never have to worry again. Cerri and I would be able to live our lives unhindered by the foolish decisions I’d made in the past.
Morgan flanked to the right while I landed directly in front of Faust. There was no hiding from him, but we could at least position ourselves advantageously.
All around us, the shimmering blue forms of warriors and beasts gathered around. I glanced at the beasts with the hopes that I would see sentience in their eyes. Would they turn on Faust tonight? Would they help me free myself, and themselves in the process, of Faust’s control?
But I saw nothing in their expressions. Their blank stares held no aggression, but they held no sympathy, either.
“While you stand here before me,” Faust said with a cackle, “Queen Beryl dismantles your precious castle. There is no turning back for you now. Finish what you came here to do so that you may return to your decimated home.”
Panic struck like a blade. I looked to Morgan. He didn’t need to be stuck in the middle of this fight, but I didn’t know if I could send him back, either. He was trapped here with me so long as Faust held control of the domain.
I had no way of getting word back to Cerri that Beryl was on her way.
Perhaps Cerri already knew. The way Faust spoke, Beryl had already struck. Which also meant that Cerri knew that I’d abandoned her. I couldn’t be there for her in this fight. If I were her, I would never forgive me for wandering from my promised post again.
My heart clenched tight. The beast spared me no sympathy. It shoved my thoughts back and clawed at the ground in preparation of a fight.
Faust cackled once more. The blue glow over the realm flickered.
All at once, the Sluagh struck. Thunder rumbled overhead. The smell of ozone and magic filled the air as Morgan’s lighting slammed into the earth near Faust’s feet.
Faust looked up from the strike. An unhuman smile stretched his skeletal face. No bone should have been able to move like that, but this wasn’t the mortal realm. Anything was possible in the fae domains.
Which also meant that I could win this.
For Cerri.
32
CERRI
Feral princess, give in and let it all fall. You won’t have to worry about anything ever again. Once the court crumbles and vanishes once and for all, you will be free to live a life for yourself and no one else.
Isn’t that what you want? Don’t you want freedom? And love?
