A Dark Faerie Tale Series Omnibus Edition (52 page)

“The colorless, white spirit, the white spirit says. He says what goes.” Shade strained to translate the gibberish in her head and realized he must’ve been talking about Corb.

“The white spirit? Where can we find him?” She blurted out.

“One does not find what is all around them. It finds you.” The miniature goblin slipped forward into their vision. Its large eyes were pure green, no whites, no pupils to define them. The stretched skin on its face folded and became loose and wrinkly around its arms and thin, exposed legs. It wore fur-lined boots on its tiny feet and a coat that reached its waist, but it pants were torn and soiled and looked as though they needed a thorough washing. Its tiny ears protruded from the sides of its head like sharp arrow tips, and his tiny mouth seemed like a hole with its thin lips circling into an ‘o’ at them.

Dylan paused, apparently surprised at its size. He sighed but didn’t put his sword away. Shade could see that he’d thought the goblin was not a threat at all. She felt otherwise; her skin tingled from the magic that vibrated all around them, from the ice, from the air. It was all alive, and she knew it.

“Will you take us to this white spirit you speak of?” Shade stepped closer to the goblin, very sure that it was some sort of exiled sluagh from the blackened fingertips and burnt-looking cheeks. Why was he here? He obviously wasn’t built for the cold. Yet here he was, guarding the entrance to The Great Divide.

His eyes widened and filled with horror at her suggestion, giving her a quick shake of his head. “No, no! White spirit won’t be pleased. He said don’t let anyone in. No one.” It turned to skip away, but Dylan and Shade threw each other a mutual look and gave chase.

“Wait! Take us to him. We won’t hurt you if you do,” Shade offered.

A cackle responded as he led them quickly to the end of the tunnel where it split into two and led into other turns in both directions. They ran to keep up with him. For such tiny legs, he was insanely fast, and they were both soon heaving, almost exhausted from his tireless scurrying.

It was an ice labyrinth—a place to get lost and die and never be seen again. That was why there were no guards. Why bother with guards when an intruder could get lost for weeks in such a vast labyrinth? It was endless, and they soon realized they’d lost their little troublemaking goblin. It’d been a trap, and they had fallen for it easily and willingly.

“Damn!” Dylan swung his sword across the neck of one of the ice sculptures of a mermaid. It seemed out of place somehow. Her long flowing mane remained as it twirled around her scaly tale and covering her breasts with its curls. It was a beautiful sculpture, and Shade grimaced as she watched Dylan destroy it.

“We’ll get there; no need to lose our heads.” She chuckled at the cliché but cleared her throat as his eyes shot back to her. “Okay, so we’re lost, but isn’t this something? A labyrinth of ice! Who would’ve known how easy it would be to freeze out your opponents by getting them lost within these endless walls? I have to say, I’m impressed.”

Dylan ignored her and sat on the ground, pulling out several pieces of wood. He placed them in a small hole he began to dig, hollowing out the packed snow underneath. He lit the wood with his own fire powers, and a warm, crackling flame filled Shade’s vision as he sat in front of it on his knees. He looked contemplative, as though something was bothering him greatly.

“We don’t have time to be lost,” he muttered. “Come here, get some warmth. I’m going to quickly check out each route and see if I can figure this maze out.”

Shade crouched near the fire and felt its heat radiating sweetly across her wind-burnt skin. She watched him as he dropped a couple more logs down out of his pack, finding it funny that only Dylan would think of packing firewood. As he strapped his pack back on and picked up his sword, he turned toward her once more with a reassuring nod before he walked away. The ice cavern swiftly swallowed him up, and he disappeared from her sight.

The hollow sound emanating from the rigid walls made her fill with a swift rush of fear. It was so vacant here, so unlike any palace she had been in. Even the Unseelie castle had not felt so abandoned, so barren. The cold hovered just beyond the reach of the crackling fire, still infusing itself into her back and any part not exposed to the flames. She rubbed her hands together and hoped Dylan would be back soon.

“Hello, Shade.”

She gasped and jumped to her feet, fingering her sword with shaking hands.

Corb.

He stood right in front of her, just on the other side of the fire. His long, colorless hair was loose and the single, large lock of black snaked down his shoulder, contrasted against the rest of his mane. His skin was still as pale as snow—he’d blend in so well outside in the white-out of the snowfall. Mother of pearl eyes blinked at her as he waited for her to answer him. When she didn’t, he tilted his head, letting a smile play upon his lips.

“I’ve waited for you for a very long time. I knew you’d come, sooner or later.” He waved his hand and the ice around them cracked and popped, a noise that made Shade instinctually cover her head with her arms, afraid of a collapse of the labyrinth. Instead, the ice slowly melded into an entrance to another room. The hall which Dylan had taken was completely swallowed by this formation, causing her fear to multiply.

“Don’t worry; he’s quite alright. Shall we?” Corb waved toward the room and headed in. Shade spun around, realizing the hall she’d been waiting in with the fire was now a dead end hole in the wall. Biting her lip, she let her fury replace the panic which had frozen her in place. There was nowhere to go but to follow the Ice King.

“Where’s Dylan?” she demanded as she entered the extravagant throne room of the Great Divide Palace. It was definitely enchanting—a throne carved from ice with intricate details, swirls and notches dominated the chamber. Pillars of solid ice stood hovering over them like giants, built up to a domed roof which let the light in through the ice. A fountain lined one wall, made of small pools of blue water trickling down into clear-as-glass basins. They were so clean and transparent, the fluid inside appeared to be sitting in invisible bowls made of various shades of wavering, blue water.

Corb sat on the throne and studied her with his pupil-less eyes. It was eerie, for his orbs appeared to look almost all white except for the opalescence that reflected from the irises. “Miss him already? Don’t worry; he’s quite safe and unharmed.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Suit yourself. Shall we invite him in?” With a snap of his fingers, the crack and pop of the ice resonate once more made her jump in her skin. She shifted on her feet, her sword readied in case a horde of wild ice things decided to pour into the throne room. Instead, a large block of transparent ice shifted out of the wall and slid its way to the center of the room. Snow trickled off the top of it as it moved. The ice groaned as it shifted, finally coming to a stop right in front of Shade.

Her horror left her frozen, as if she was the one encased in the ice, not Dylan.

“What have you done? Let him go!” She reached out and touched the hardened surface, gracing the area right outside Dylan’s unmoving face. He was stuck in attack stance, holding his sword as if waiting for something. He probably hadn’t even realized he’d been frozen. Why didn’t his magic melt the block? Why couldn’t his heat help him out now?

“He’s quite safe there, and harmless, just like I need him to be for now.” Corb’s dry voice echoed in the room, ringing in her ears and making her turn toward him with her sword gripped tightly in her hand. “Now, now, princess,” he said. “We have a lot of catching up to do.”

“Go to hell.” She swung her sword at the ice block, doing nothing but chipping loose tiny bits. Another hit failed to make any progress, and she realized pretty fast that it was useless. She’d have to sweet talk the king into getting what she wanted. “What do you want? You’ve taken so much already!”

So she wasn’t in a sweet-talking mood. Staying calm wasn’t a trait she seemed to possess.

Corb beamed at her. He looked amused by her frustration. He didn’t appear to feel any bit threatened like he had when he’d first met her, riding his black kelpie and ordering his troops to kill her and Soap. He’d often confused her. His agenda seemed cloudy, his actions did not match his character. He’d been kind to her at the Unseelie palace, healing and saving her from extreme harm from Darren. Yet, she had no idea what he was thinking behind those pearly eyes. She was sure that whatever he was thinking, it wasn’t what she wanted, and he wouldn’t be too willing to just do whatever she asked.

“What do I want… hmmm.” Corb continued to observe her, fascinated, like he was studying a pinned butterfly. She dropped her sword, signifying defeat, and waited. He only shifted his gaze, never letting her out of his sight, just curiously watching her like a brand new toy. “There are many things I want. To keep your Teleen warrior encased in ice would be one thing on that list.”

“Let him go!” She shot him a deadly glare, hoping he’d understand how serious she was.

“Why should I? What do you offer in return?”

Shade’s face fell. Of course he’d say that. She panicked, turning toward Dylan’s unmoving body. How could she get out of this one? They’d been ill-prepared to face the Ice King. It was all so hopeless now. “I don’t know. What do you want?” She avoided looking back at Corb, afraid she would start to cry.

“You can trade yourself for his freedom. And he will not be able to return here, once he is banished. Do you want to never see him again?”

She shook her head, tears prickling at her eyes as she continued to stare at Dylan. She reached out to touch the block of ice once more. “No.”

“Well then, you can keep him. I can erase his memory—and yours, for that matter. He can be your personal servant, your faithful watchdog as you rule by my side.” She heard the Ice King stand and make his way toward her, his boots crunching the crystals of ice under their feet. “What do you say, Shade? He could be your lover, too, if that’s what you truly want. Would you like that? I’d even give you your powers back if you stay here with me.”

“But I don’t want to marry you. I—I don’t even like you,” Shade hissed, finally turning back toward the pale faery who was now suddenly at her side, his cool breath brushing against her skin.

“I don’t need you to marry me. My love belongs to only one woman. You would rule—with your powers bestowed—by my side, as the Ice Queen. You don’t have to be my wife. I don’t have to marry you to get what I want, though you might be disappointed to know that I’m not interested in pleasures of the flesh, like some mortal.” He traced an icy cold finger along her forehead and down her cheek, following her neckline across her collarbone. She dared not move. His touch made her shiver and not in a good way. “Faeries do not just rule as husband and wife. You will remain here, though. You will rule in in my absence, forever, and do as I say.”

His freezing fingertips reached for her chin as he pulled on it to make her face him once more. “You’d have all that you want and more, Shade. You’d have your precious Dylan and your faery powers restored. Wouldn’t you like that? Would it not be all that you seek, all you came here for?”

The tears spilled hot against her cheeks, freezing in the cold air as they slipped off her chin. He wiped them away, leaving crystals of ice wherever he touched her. She was shivering from the cold, from her fear, from her desperation.

“But you’ll erase our memories,” she whispered, her voice fading with the cold air.

Corb smiled. It made him look almost kind, but Shade knew better. He’d been healing and kind to her at the Unseelie fortress, but there was no mistaking the madness that this ancient faery possessed deep within. She could still feel his power swirling around her like a tornado—an old, ancient power which came from the old worlds that she’d never seen, never would experience. Why did he want to enslave her so badly? What did he really seek from all this?

If she wanted to save Dylan, she had to do what he asked. Otherwise, he’d be frozen in this state forever, or worse. The ice all around her felt unbearable. Its impenetrable cold slithered through her clothes and made her teeth chatter and her jaw stiffen. What would it be like to remain here forever? It would be a miserable, dark, solitary death, that’s what. But she would’ve saved Dylan, wouldn’t she? Would that ever be enough for her to remain here, trapped forever?

“Fine. I’ll do it. As long as Dylan is safe with me, I will do what you ask. As the Land of Faerie binds me, I accept your terms, but….” She paused, knowing she was doomed to whatever he wanted now that she had spoken her oath. She waited to see if he stopped her from continuing. After all, she was at his mercy now. Surprisingly, he waited patiently for her to speak. “First, before you erase our memories, I want to know one thing.”

Corb smiled even wider, amused at her daring request. “Of course, my princess. Anything you want—besides escape, of course—I shall grant, as the Land of Faerie binds me also to my words, Shade.”

She sniffed, rubbing at her face where it felt frozen and burnt from the frost. Taking in a deep breath, she exhaled the words which would finalize her world or end it. Either way, it was all over. “Why do you need me? What are you searching for that you’d keep me imprisoned here forever?”

It was Corb’s turn for his face to fade from that taunting grin to a tight frown. He seemed upset at her question. He had to answer her now, the oath left him no other choice but to comply to her request. He was bound to his promise. A moment passed as he contemplated what to say.