A Dark Faerie Tale Series Omnibus Edition (30 page)

The Elven Prince stood by the massive fireplace and turned toward them. Shade stared at the tall faery. His hair was silver-grey and hung down to his waist. It was partly pulled back with a leather tie. It reminded her of liquid mercury but lighter with its shining highlights. His skin was a pale milky-white, and his thin, firm lips were the color of a dusted rose.

But his eyes were what caught Shade. They were a deep emerald green, so deep, they seemed like an endless bamboo forest. She was sure she’d seen eyes like his before. Soap had similar eyes, but these seemed to match a distant memory of hers that she couldn’t quite put a finger on. She gulped as the Prince approached them, walking with an air of power which pulsated across the air.

“May I introduce the warriors of the Guildrin Court, Your Majesty,” Camulus said as he introduced them to the Prince. “They are Stephen, Than, Sary, Dylan, Shade and Rylan.” Camulus’s voice echoed in the room as he spoke. “This is Prince Lotinar, the Crown Prince of the Northern Realm of Faerie and Lord of the Santiran City.” He bowed before the Prince and the group followed his actions.

The Prince also bowed his head slightly, his eyes never leaving the group. They seemed to settle on Shade and bore into her like hot pokers. Shade felt the scarlet heat flush across her face again as she averted her eyes to the floor. She was never going to get used to how much the faeries seemed to stare at her, as if dissecting her and examining the little pieces inside her like a science project. She gulped and let her eyes dart back up to his still face. They continued to drift back and forth from his ghostly skin and metallic mane, to the soft rugs under their feet.

“I am most pleased to meet all of you, especially you, Shade. The Water-Wielder of the Sacred Santiran Fountains. Your reputation precedes you, and I am most interested to see if all I have heard is true.” He glided toward her as everyone parted, and she became lost to him as he trained his eyes on only her.

Shade felt like a mouse in a lion’s den as she was swallowed by his eyes. He was definitely powerful. His magic poured off of him in a tidal wave, crashing into her. It made her feel faint as she felt the room swirl around her. Again the feeling of déjà vu crept into her. His voice, his overall essence, felt so familiar. It was as if she’d known him before, maybe in another life, long ago.

She shook her head and felt the magic recede like low tide. Her head cleared up immediately as she felt Soap place a hand against the small of her back, helping her clear her mind. Prince Lotinar reined in his magic and shut it deep inside him as he realized how much it had affected her. Shade bore her eyes into his and tried with all her might to remember how she knew him, yet her memory failed her.

“My apologies, Shade. It seems your powers have flared my own to life. I will try to be more careful.” Prince Lotinar’s voice was a low, sturdy, jaunt. Shade couldn’t ignore the slight feeling that he was a bit angry with her. She was hoping it was all in her head, but her gut feelings always seemed to be right on.

“Pleasure to meet you, Prince Lotinar,” Shade said. Her voice caught in her throat and came out just above a whisper as he turned away and walked to the enormous glass windows. He stared out of them as the breeze swayed the lush trees outside.

“I have been waiting for all of you to arrive. I can feel much unrest in Faerie, and as it grows, Queen Aveta becomes more restless and more powerful. She has sent her winter. Frost scorches my lands and withers the forests, burning the soils with its death grip. She holds the Eastern Realm, but I think she will be mobilizing soon. I feel her taint crossing the borders into the neutral territories. Wild magic is pouring out of the Sacred Vices of Faerie with her disturbances, and I fear she is scheming to capture Shade, since she holds the key to the water magic of Santire.” Lotinar turned then, looking sternly and seriously at Shade. “Tell me, Shade, have you mastered the water wielding arts yet? We will need them when Aveta decides to invade the other three territories.”

Shade clasped the small ampule dangling from her neck. Ilarial had made her split the original flask of sacred Santiran Water, one part into a necklace she now wore. The original flask was safe in Guildrin, but since no one could wield it but her, Ilarial thought it better to have Shade keep some with her at all times so she could wield it whenever she chose. Unfortunately, no one alive knew how to use the water magic. Shade had been doing exercises with Ilarial. She was able to move water around from bowls to glasses and make it float all around her in a dance of small water baubles. She definitely had not mastered its power, and she certainly was not yet able to use it as a weapon against the dark Unseelie Queen’s army. She slowly shook her head.

“Pity. I had hoped we had one thing going for us.” Prince Lotinar’s icy voice echoed in the room. Shade caught his cold stare before he turned back toward the dance of the landscape outside.

*****

“
WOW, PRINCE LOTINAR
is some kind of stone-cold ruler, huh, Shade?” Sary smiled, crinkling her beautiful hazel eyes. “I have to say, I guess after what happened to him, though, he has all the excuse in the world to be so hard.” She sighed and flopped herself onto the second bed which was in the enormous room they had been given for their night’s stay at the Glass Castle. Shade sat on the edge of her bed, staring out the obscenely large window into the darkening world.

“Yeah, he’s a whole different kind of fey,” Shade murmured as she turned toward her roommate with a puzzled look on her face. “What exactly happened to him, Sary?”

The svelte, redheaded warrior princess smiled as she leaned on her elbows, her body draped over the width of her bed. “Oh, you probably haven’t heard. He just returned from years in exile. He was cursed, or something like that, by some crazy witch. He disappeared for over a hundred years and just recently returned. No one knows what happened to him in all that time, but from what I hear, he came back a different faery. Quite changed, they say. Almost like the old Prince was completely gone. Apparently, his identity had to be confirmed by his own mother. She knew immediately it was him, and no one argues with the Queen.”

Shade pondered her words. She wondered what had happened to him to make him so hard and cold. Maybe it was all a front to shake them up a bit.

Oh, whatever.

“What time is dinner? I’m starved,” Shade asked. “I can’t nap anyway, not in this see-through ice house. It’s so cold in here! No wonder they call it the ‘Glass Castle of Winter!’” Shade rubbed her arms and shivered. She reached into her backpack and pulled out a soft, blue cashmere sweater. She slipped it on and hugged her arms in its warmth.

“I know what you mean. Definitely not the kind of ‘summer’ home I’d want. I wonder just how cold it is at his main home in Santiran City. It must be full of icicles there!” Sary laughed as she swung her legs back and forth.

Shade yawned and scooted back until her back hit the pillows. “Yeah, probably. I just know he seems eerily familiar to me. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen him before, but he ‘feels’ familiar. Is that weird, Sary? Or am I just insane already?”

Sary sat up in her bed and watched her. “No, you’re definitely not insane. You have no idea what kinds of magic you possess, do you, Shade? I’ve heard of the things you have done. No one I know can do such things. You are one of the most powerful fey I’ve ever met. If you could control your magic, who knows what you could do? I believe these feelings you’re getting are based on real things. Trust yourself, you might find that you’re right about it.”

Shade smiled at her friend. Sary had been a comfort since Brisa had packed and left for college. She was alone now. Her one friend had moved on to a normal life, and she had never felt more alone than the few weeks she’d been without Brisa. She called her up frequently, but it was definitely not the same. It would never be the same ever again.

She sighed as she leaned down to get her pack off the floor when a knock echoed from the door. She glanced at Sary, who shrugged. Turning back to the door, Shade got up and moved toward it. Turning the knob, she felt the door give under the weight of whoever now shoved at it.

“Shade Dyer? Your presence is requested by Prince Lotinar.” A large massive man entered. He was clad in metal and leather and followed by his identical twin. Shade’s eyes widened and her mouth opened to scream, but stopped when Camulus slipped in behind the guards. Shade eyed them all in confusion.

“Camulus, they’re part of Aveta’s guards!” Shade exclaimed. She backed into the room and ran toward her backpack on the floor, hoping to yank her sword out in time.

“Stop, Shade! It’s ok. Draden and his brother Andraste are no longer part of Aveta’s troops. They have sworn allegiance to Prince Lotinar. It’s ok.” Camulus’s hands were up, trying to persuade her that they meant her no harm. Shade’s frantic eyes stared at the pair and widened even more as Draden approached her. She gripped her pack to her chest, afraid to let go and ready to run for it if she had to.

“What?” She shook her head in disbelief. Sary shimmied over to her and held her around the shoulders, whispering to her to calm her down. Shade refocused herself and looked up at Sary, who, despite the scare, appeared calm.

“It’s okay, Shade, Camulus is trustworthy. Let’s just see what Prince Lotinar wants,” Sary said.

“Only Shade is summoned, Sary.” Camulus nodded toward them and beckoned for Shade to follow them. She moved her eyes to stare at Camulus. Pulling back her fear, she nodded softly and followed him while still clutching her pack.

Shade glared at Draden, who watched her with calm, ocean-blue eyes. His hair was pulled back neatly, and his scruffy stubble was now shaved clean. He still looked like he’d seen a little too much hard soldiering, but he didn’t seem as dangerous this time around as he had at the Santiran Fountains. He stared right back at her and grinned as she approached them. She eyed him up and down and continued on past him, following the green Elven-Pixie.

In the hall, she fell into step behind Camulus. Shade glanced back to watch the twin guards bringing up the rear and the door to her room grow smaller the farther away they went. She felt so alone again without Sary by her side. Even Soap and Dylan seemed to feel far away in their chambers on the next floor. She wondered if Dylan could feel her panic. She breathed in and tried to calm her nerves before he felt compelled to run out and save her. She felt a little less apprehensive the closer they got to the Prince’s chambers. The feeling of danger subsided slowly as curiosity filled her mind.

Chapter Five

THE PRINCE’S CHAMBERS
were just as elaborate as the sitting room. Here there were threads of deep purple and blue in the rugs which ran along the stone floors as well as the length of the curtains that ran the expanse of the windows. The prince probably liked to block out the bright daylight that constantly poured into the room during waking hours. Shade was escorted into the room and directed to sit on one of the lush settee chairs. She watched the twin guards and Camulus bow to her and the Prince as they turned and shut the heavy wooden doors behind them. She wrung her fingers together while glancing up at Prince Lotinar, whose back now faced her, as he again was lost staring out the windows.

Suddenly, he reached up and loosened one of the knots which held the massive material of curtains. The mass swayed with a whoosh across half the windows, swinging gently into
position. He followed the curtains as they came to a halt, and then he turned toward her. He watched her for a moment, causing Shade to squirm in her chair quietly. She mentally forced herself to stop it and straightened, feeling the weight of his stare.

“Do you know Queen Aveta has her Unseelie spies crawling all over Faerie, watching us with their insolent eyes, taking any little bit of information, useless or not, back to her? I found that I had to fit all the windows to my castle with lengths of curtain to keep her spies at bay. It took half a year to make them.” He glided over to the second set of tied curtains and loosened them as well, throwing the room into the soft, diffuse light of the chandelier.

Shade watched intently. Without his stare bogging her down, he was easy on the eyes.  He wore a long silver-white coat which fastened up to his neck. It was tailored to hug his thin waist and accent his broad shoulders. Swirls glinted down the sides of it like glimmering snakes. Glittering diamonds fastened the long sleeves around his wrists, while his pants of the same color were adorned down the sides in a similar swirled fashion. His silver-grey hair draped down over the white-silver of his garments much like a spill of mercury. His shoes were custom made to match the outfit perfectly, but appeared to be made of something soft and pliable, like some sort of dyed leather.

Shade found herself caught off guard as the Prince stopped moving and turned toward her, finding her gawking at his outfit. She averted her eyes down to the deep purple rugs, feeling her face flush scarlet. The last thing she wanted was to be caught staring at a Prince.

“Do you like what you see?” Prince Lotinar watched for her reaction.

She looked back up at him and studied his gleaming emerald eyes. “Do I know you?” she asked. She felt hauntingly lost for a moment and would bet her life on having met him somewhere before that day. Yet he was as alien to her as most everyone in Faerie was.

He waited to answer as he let her apprehension build. A smile played on his lips as he sized her up and down.  Shade felt naked under his intensive examination and could hardly stand it much longer. She stood up, feeling anxious and wanting to run out of his chambers, out of the Glass Castle, and deep into the more familiar woods. She didn’t, though; she glued herself to the floor as her heart raced in her chest and her breath quickened.

Get a grip already! There is no way you know this person. No way in hell!
Shade thought. She slowed her breathing while closing her eyes to block his face. As the panic receded, she was able to open them again and look upon him.

“Am I repulsive?” A twinge of hurt filled his icy voice. “I thought by returning to my former appearance, I would be much more pleasurable to look at for you.” Prince Lotinar paused and watched her as realization flashed across his face. “I was hoping you would remember me. I see you don’t, not in the least.” His lips pressed into a thin line as sadness swept across his jeweled eyes. He looked away, peering through a gap in the great curtains. A faraway look crept across his face.

Shade looked at him as her eyes widened. She knew who he reminded her of, but it didn’t seem possible he could be that person. She shook her head and sank back down on the settee.

“You shake your head, but you must believe, Shade,” Prince Lotinar said. He approached her so swiftly, she gasped at his sudden closeness. He placed his hands on her arms and smiled. “It’s me, Shade. Ursad. Please remember.”

Shade squinted her eyes at him.
Ursad?

“What?” Shade’s voice quivered as she absorbed what he said.

“I’m Ursad. Don’t you remember me at all? I was hoping to find you again. You left before I could show you what happened when you kissed me. I didn’t even know what had happened myself until I walked past the mirror. I woke up, and you were gone, but you broke the curse on me.”

Shade let out a sigh of relief.
Of course
. She could see it now. His jeweled eyes gleamed the exact same way Ursad’s had, even in his disfigured, cursed form.  She’d never seen anyone else with eyes like those. Soap’s weren’t even that bright.

“Ursad, it’s really you, isn’t it? I knew it. I just knew I had met you before. Why didn’t you say anything before, like when we arrived? Why didn’t you tell me?” Shade felt her shock lessen as they spoke. She studied his face more now that his guard was down. He was incredibly handsome. No wonder women had thrown themselves at his feet. No wonder some jealous witch had cursed him for his looks and attitude so long ago.

“I broke the curse? How do you even know it was me? I did nothing,” she said.

“You kissed me, Shade. I just know that’s what happened. You did kiss me, did you not? Before you left me behind?” His eyes darkened with the memory of abandonment floating behind them.

“Uh, yes, but how would that break any kind of curse?”

“Remember the story I told you? The witch said only a kiss from a queen-to-be would break it. That means you are a princess, Shade, no doubt about it.” Ursad smiled, his eyes lighting up again. Shade shook her head, but his smile was contagious. She liked how happy he looked. His icy exterior had just been a show. He was the same old Ursad she’d met on a cold, sandy beach after barely escaping Blythe, the evil Dryad Queen.

“Ursad, you know, a few months ago I would’ve told you that you were insane, but so much has happened, and I have to say that I wouldn’t be surprised if I was a princess.” Ursad laughed and launched into her for a tight embrace, holding her as if to never let go. When he finally did, he lingered to study her face as though committing it to memory.

“Um, Ursad, you know why I left, right?” She paused, waiting to see his response. His face melted into a more serious expression as he nodded. “I won’t tolerate you using any kind of magic or faery tricks on me. I just can’t let anyone do that to me ever again. You do understand, right?” Shade licked her now dry lips. Her mouth felt like a desert.

Ursad reached up, pushed a strand of her hair back behind her ear and nodded softly. “I promise to never hurt you again, Shade. I am indebted to you for everything.”

Shade stared at Ursad, studying his face again and wondering what it was that swirled around in his head. “Um, Ursad? I don’t want you to feel you owe me anything. I just want to be friends and know that I can trust you. Is that alright?”

Ursad stared back at her. His face seemed to fall in disappointment.

Great, I just pushed Soap away, and now I’m pushing another person away.

“I—I knew you would be upset to see me.” He pulled back, standing to pace the room. His agitation seemed to ripple through the air as his control on his magic wavered. It slipped out into the air around her, shooting across her like short gusts of wind. She wondered how much of his magic had been restored when the curse lifted. It had been a few months, but there probably hadn’t been too much to challenge him and cause him to lose his grip on his power. She wondered even now if he would try to imprison her again with his now-strengthened charms.

“Ursad, I’m not upset to see you. I really don’t know what you want from me. I’m happy to see you’re okay, cured even. What did you expect from me when we met again? That I would run into your arms like a long lost lover? I left because of your deception. You tried to trap me as your ‘pet’ in Faerie. So what if it didn’t work out because I’m also fey? The point is, you tried to do it, more than once, too! I forgive you now, but that’s all you can have from me.” She continued watching him pace until he came to a stop in the middle of the room. He moved to sink to the floor before her, looking up to meet her eyes.

“You’re right, Shade. I deserve nothing. I am still indebted to you, and that hasn’t changed. I am sorry for everything.” He bowed his head, breathing in deeply and contemplating his next words. As he brought his eyes back to hers, his face was calmer, his rage extinguished. He smiled and stood up, holding his hand out to her.

“Can I have a dance at least? Just one. Please, Shade?” he implored. Shade studied his face but found no malice at all. She sighed, smiled and nodded while taking his hand and letting him pull her up. He took his stance, embracing her and peered down at her. Soft music floated into the room from some unknown source. Shade listened to the haunting melody and let him sway her around the room. Closing her eyes, she let the music drift into her like a spell. For a moment, she was floating across the room, dancing around and around with Ursad swaying her gently. It was the most serene moment she’d had in a very long time.

The music came to a stop, but he continued to dance her around until they slowed and stilled. They stood in the center of the room and stared at each other. Shade’s heart fluttered just enough to make her panic. She pulled away, still looking at him.

“What just happened? Did you try the damn charms on me again?”

Ursad shook his head, his face filled with shock. “No, I didn’t do anything. I have to admit, I have a hard time controlling my magic since I returned to my former appearance.  It has grown tenfold since I was last able to use it so many years ago. Anything you think might have happened, I swear, I didn’t do on purpose.” Looking defeated, he sank down into one of the sofas, leaned forward with his head in his hands and sighed.

“I didn’t want to tell you who I was at first, not in front of them. I’ve tried to appear strong, so sure in my actions and words as a Prince. Yet inside, I am in pieces, and my soul quivers with uncertainty. I’ve been able to reassume the throne of the North, but I had to fight hard for it. Once they saw I was truly the ruthless Prince I once was, there was no longer any doubt.” He looked up and watched her face for any emotions.

“I’m not the same person anymore, Shade. I find myself emptier than when I was in exile. It’s made my world stand still. It’s a constraint—and a freedom—I don’t know if I want anymore. I stay for my people. I stay to fight this evil called Aveta who tries to invade my lands with her cursed armies. I hold my borders for now, but I need this alliance with Queen Zinara probably as much as she does. I have so much to make up for. I can never repay you or anyone else I’ve hurt in my life.” He sighed but never looked away from her.

Shade gave him a nod and stood up from the sofa. Standing over him, she held her hand out.

“I forgive you. I know we both have much to learn, and the magic of Faerie grows wilder with everything that’s brewing. I promise I’ll help you if you promise to help me, too. Deal?” Her hand trembled as she held it out. She felt tired and hungry, and she wanted to see what her friends were doing. She counted Ursad as not quite a friend, but they’d have to figure that out, all in good time.

He smiled and gripped her hand, nodding in agreement.

“Come on, don’t you have a nice dinner feast readied for your old pal? I’m starved.” Shade let out a nervous laugh as she waited for his answer.

Ursad laughed and nodded. He moved to stand beside her, offering his arm to escort her out. “Let’s get some good food.”