Locke and Kade shared a look, but Prince Azaren started speaking again. “Youhavelost your abilities, haven’t you?” he queried. “Or was it only him?” He tilted his head toward Asher.
When no one answered, he added, “If you were all stung by the dazra, it could work to our advantage. My father will assume you’re human.”
“I’m not so sure that’s a good thing,” Darian said. “Your dryad friends didn’t seem too pleased by the presence of humans in their forest.”
Prince Azaren didn’t appear concerned. “The fae despise the monsters of Katakin. After all, your human King Adrien murdered my grandfather, King Jazrec. Not to mention, you took my beautiful aunt Izla from us, formerly a princess in our realm but a queen in yours. Still, it’s common knowledge that all the humans in Katakin were turned into monsters by my aunt’s curse. We’ve had little contact with any other realms, but the fact you appear human may make my father more sympathetic. He might believe you are also humans who were captured by the Katakin monsters.”
I shifted on the spot, feeling uneasy because of the major fault I found in the prince’s plan. “But if the magic wears off…”
“I shall try to find the information about the curse before that happens, but it is, of course, a risk,” Prince Azaren admitted.
“I don’t like this,” Kade growled to Locke and the others.
Prince Azaren rubbed his chin. “Don’t show any hostility while you are in the castle, and as long as your magic is suppressed, you should be safe. Once I’ve given you information about the curse, you can tell me where my missing books are located. When the books are in my hands, I can create a portal to send you to Katakin.”
It sounded too simple. Much too easy to be possible. Darian and the others looked as skeptical as I felt, but Locke canted his head. “If you betray us, you will never learn the location of your books,” he reminded Prince Azaren, and the prince narrowed his eyes.
“Then I’d best not betray you,” Prince Azaren replied.
It seemed wrong to trust the prince given what little we knew about him and his intentions, but what choice did we have?
With that, our group began walking again, weaving a path between the trees and trekking toward the city. From what we learned from Prince Azaren, King Chalir would find us now, no matter where we went in the forest, but it felt good to be moving again.
Kade and the others refused to let me walk next to the fae, but I still managed to ask him questions about his world, like why he’d chosen to create the portal in a spot near a sea of murderous toadstools. In response to the question, the prince’s grin split wide, and he explained that unless they’re disturbed, the toadstools are completely harmless. He figured they would be useful if enemies were to follow him through the portal back to the fae realm, and I had to admire his plan.
I was busy asking the prince more about the dryads and how many of them lived in the forest when the air crackled with energy.
Instinctively, Locke, Kade, Asher, and Darian halted and drew their weapons. The four of them took up positions around me, making a misshapen circle, and their bodies hardened. I pulled out two of my knives, knowing I could launch them between the males if I needed to.
Even Prince Azaren looked apprehensive at his father’s arrival, and that wasn’t doing much for my confidence.
“Here he comes,” Prince Azaren announced with a weak smile.
CHAPTER 11
~ Darian ~
Mymusclestensedasa ring of blue fire appeared a few paces in front of me, growing to become larger than any portal I’d seen before. Armed soldiers exited the ring in double file, their armor chinking and their boots smacking on the ground as they poured into the forest, forming a single neat line as they surrounded our group. Sunlight reflected off the soldiers’ silver helmets, and the fae guards took up offensive stances, angling their spears inward.
Hold.My muscles twitched as I forced myself to remain still. My hands shifted slightly, my grip tightening on the hilt of my sword. Seven devils, how my fingers longed to slide out three of my stars and sink them into the three fae closest to me. But I knew my sword would serve me better in close combat, and we were supposed to act like peaceful humans. It made sense that we might instinctively grab our weapons, but ideally, there wouldn’t actually be any bloodshed.
Humans.I’d been enjoying my time without my siren abilities, but now, for the first time since the dazra’s venom had changed me, I wished I had my power back. With a few notes, I could have entranced the fae soldiers and given us a chance at defeating them. That was, I could have tried. In truth, I couldn’t know what powers these fae wielded and whether my magic would have even affected them. The soldiers around us all appeared the same with golden skin; long, lithe limbs; and delicately pointed ears, but I suspected that like the monsters in Katakin, there was a large variety when it came to the powers each individual possessed.
I hoped the prince’s plan would work, but all it would take was one strike. If a single weapon was launched in my lovely Raine’s direction, I wouldn’t hesitate to protect her and kill her attacker. The thought of cutting down a fae soldier brought a small smile to my face. I didn’t know Kade’s sister and mother well, but I saw how their deaths destroyed him. I’d happily help Kade get his vengeance on the fae if it came to it.
The last fae to emerge from the portal didn’t wear the same armor as the other soldiers. Rich sky-blue material lined with silver thread hung beneath plates of gleaming armor that crossed his chest and stomach and covered his shoulders. The picture of a flying dazra was etched onto the fae’s breastplate, the image of the insect large and imposing, and the arrogant smile on the male’s face made it easy for me to guess he was the leader of our welcome party.
The fae stopped just beyond the circle of warriors, his penetrating gray eyes assessing each of us before fixing on Prince Azaren. One hand rested on the pommel of the sword at his side while his other hand hung on to his weapons belt. He gestured with his head to the soldiers closest to him, and they lifted their spears and moved back, clearing a space for Prince Azaren to walk through.
“My prince, your father the king was most relieved to hear of your arrival back in Zalei,” the fae said, his bright-blue lips forming a smile that lacked any true warmth. “He has been most concerned by your absence.”
Prince Azaren gave us a reassuring nod before striding forward. As soon as he had exited the circle, the soldiers took up their positions again, sealing the circle once more. “Captain Pezar,” the prince replied, giving the fae a tight smile of his own. “I see he was so concerned he didn’t even bother coming here to greet me himself.”
“There is good reason for the rule against portals to Katakin,” Captain Pezar said, ignoring Prince Azaren’s comment. “It is fortunate you were able to escape with your life. We would have been so…saddened in the event of your death or your failure to return home.”
I was all too aware of the political games played among the Katakin monsters, and now it seemed we had walked into a game created by the fae. Whoever this Captain Pezar was, I was getting the sense he wasn’t to be underestimated.
“I am sure you can understand your father is preoccupied with another matter,” Captain Pezar continued. “There was another rebel attack last night, and our war general wasn’t there to assist.”
