I bit down hard on my response. It wouldn't help matters.
"It's a long story," the captain said.
"Simplify it."
"It has to do with your father." He left that tidbit out there, bait meant to draw me into their grasp.
The moments ticked by as I glared, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of winning this round. One side of his mouth quirked up in challenge.
I gave in. "Fine, tell me your damn story."
"To do that, I have to go back to the beginning." He lifted his hand, a ball of energy in it.
Owen shook his head, muttering under his breath as the others stepped back in unison, the twins joining them.
I scarcely had time to draw a breath for a question when that ball burst, leaving me blind and mute—
again.
NINETEEN
THE UNIVERSE FLOATED beneath me, countless stars twinkled as the tiny fragments caught the light.
"Figures he'd use one of his illusions," Owen muttered.
Callie hushed him.
"Noctessa, the realm of shadow and nightmare. First among the Fae realms. In the height of its reign, it was considered our center. It wasn't until later that the other realms were established," Travis said, his voice taking on the cadence of a story teller.
"Is this really necessary?" I asked. "Can't you just tell me the story? There's no need for show and tell."
Travis ignored me, his form hidden by his illusion. "It was led by one of our firsts."
I sighed. I guessed we were really doing this.
Who knew Fae would have such a thing for story time?
A creature burst into existence. Not human by any stretch of the word. He was a construct of shadow and night. They formed his cloak. Moonlight was imbued in his skin. A crown of stars sat on his head. There were deep abysses where his eyes should have been, his features both terrifying and beautiful.
"Our legends say the king came into existence at the same time as our realm, making the two inextricably bound."
The king stretched out a hand, the realm around him blooming into being. Grass spread from his feet and ancient trees raised their skeletal heads. The world he created was wondrous and strange, dreamlike with an edge of danger running underneath everything.
"For a time, the king existed alone, creating creatures born of his own shadows to keep him company."
The king stood on a bluff, shadows taking shape around him. Monsters, by anyone's definition.
Strangely, I didn't feel fear, but a sense of connection, as if I was seeing friends that I had all but forgotten. There was a touch of familiarity about this scene that I couldn't place my finger on.
It was an itch inside my brain that wouldn't quite go away.
Don stepped into being, his eyes so young as he took in the new world around him. Next, Callie moved out of the shadows, her snakes still small hatchlings as she danced in the moonlight.
"The king grew lonely and sought out others like himself, inviting many fae into his realm."
Travis stepped through a portal. He saw the king and his monsters and placed his hand on his chest and bowed.
"But the king was still not happy. He created his Firsts, weaving his dreams and nightmares into their existence. Some remained by his side, others left to explore the many realms that branched off his."
