The Dark King Read online

  Thankfully, the other two treasures were hidden from the humans: the Sword of Light, which Devilyn had used to contain Alderon, and the Dagdas Cauldron. Once the Light was finally destroyed, order would be established at last, as the Dark certainly did not need anyone to illuminate their way.

  It hadn’t taken Puck long to arrive to the home of Arthur the Great. The Yew tree had developed quite a reputation as it housed one of the catalysts of the war of the Fae. He noticed, almost immediately, that it was empty. He shook his head in revulsion at the site, realizing almost instantly that the fool Devilyn had no doubt released Arthur’s soul from the prison so that he could reside in the heavens with his vile human love. The mortal woman who had brought them all to this fate in the first place.

  Once inside the Yew, Puck saw the sword levitating high in the air from the power of the curse. He pulled out the long Spear of Victory and threw it with all of his might toward the magical sword. In a second a thousand dark crystals rained down around him. The light blinded him so completely that he had to cover his eyes. The sword spun in circles, suspended still in the air, and then suddenly black clouds began to make their way out of the weapon. The clouds slowly took shape, and Puck fell to his knee when he beheld his master, Alderon.

  He rushed forward and grabbed his cold hand, placing a kiss on his palm before he rose. Puck was careful not to show emotion when he stared upon Alderon’s face. It was very different from before. Skin and smoke moved together, bonded together, then released each other. His skin never seemed to be able to take shape, and in that moment Puck knew Alderon would never look like the Fae he once was. He would always be this hybrid being of smoke and skin.

  And whatever rage and Darkness he had before his banishment, it was now like nothing Puck had ever beheld.

  C

  It was my favorite time of day. I was in the perfect place, surrounded by the lush beauty of the Elizabethan Gardens. The trees rustled with the magik that could only be found in this one special place on Roanoke, and I felt a happiness I hadn’t in a long while. I sat down on the grassy knoll and looked up at the sky, enjoying the solitude.

  A soft breeze blew by me, and it sounded like a thousand people whispering at once. The wind kissed me softly on the face, and I smiled as I reveled in this sacred moment. And then I heard a single voice whisper in my ear.

  “Caroline.”

  I looked past the statue of Virginia Dare, searching for anyone. But I was all alone.

  “Caroline. Come to me.”

  “Who’s there?” I called out as I stood up.

  I looked down and noticed I was wearing a long, white, antique-looking dress. I reached out to touch the intricate material. It felt almost medieval. It was flowy and whimsical, like something from a different time.

  “Caroline,” the voice said again. “Close your eyes and let me show you something.”

  Strangely, I was not afraid even though I couldn’t identify who was speaking to me. I felt a peace I had not experienced in a long time, and so I followed the command I heard in the wind. I felt someone take my hand, and as soon our skin touched I knew it was time to open my eyes.

  Only now, the scenery had changed.

  No longer in the Gardens, I was now in my bedroom and in the darkness of the night.

  I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience because I was standing by my bed watching myself sleep. I saw a presence move along the corner of the room and then saw Devilyn take shape in the shadows, watching me in my bed.

  “Devilyn?” I reached out to him but he did not see or hear me.

  It was as if I didn’t exist. Like I was a ghost. He walked up to my bed and sat down next to my sleeping body. The way he looked at me brought tears to my eyes. The way he brushed my hair away from my face made me long to trade places with the Caroline that slept there. Treating me like a fine piece of porcelain. One he worshipped. Like I was the most precious person in the world.

  But for whatever reason, this wasn’t a scene I was allowed to participate in, only watch from the outside.

  He sat there for a long while, his dark eyes full of sadness, and then he closed them. When they finally opened what felt like many minutes later, they blazed with an otherworldly blue fire. I gasped and stumbled back as I watched him lean down and kiss me softly on the lips. I don’t know why, but I wanted to scream and shout at him. I felt in my heart as if he was doing something wrong.

  I cried out again, and he jerked away from my sleeping body, turning to look at me in rage. I stepped away from him, deathly afraid of what he would do as he rose from the bed. There was a darkness that surrounded him now like a cloak, an energy that made me want to scream at him to stay away. To not get close. But he was advancing and was clearly unhappy that I was there.

  I wanted to plead with him. Beg him for mercy. But he was upon me, and there was nothing I could do, so I took a deep breath, fearing what would come next, and felt a dampness on my face. I went to wipe it away, and that’s when I heard the faint sound of a dog’s growl awakening me from what I thought was my reality.

  Through the haze, I realized that I had been dreaming all along. And there to rescue me from what was sure to be a nightmare were the deep brown eyes of my beloved Famous.

  “It was a dream,” I whispered as he gave me that smile of his.

  “Just a crazy dream.”

  D

  The crackling sound that made its way across the sky was hard to ignore. The storm was upon us and it wanted everyone to be aware. It had arrived. Such a vast contradiction from the few hours before when the sun was shining ever so brightly. All it took was a few seconds for the sky to turn, robbing her of all her beauty, taking away the essence of her being, and covering up her striking light with masked darkness.

  I loved the rain.

  I loved all of the elements that came with it.

  The sound of thunder. The shattering of the sky. Powerful lightning, announcing its presence with such force. And the beautiful rainfall.

  Storms always had a way of letting the world know that even the sky could shed a tear or two.

  Even though the stony balcony was covered with water, I still stepped out, wanting the rain to wash over me. In that moment when I was allowing myself to be engulfed in all of nature’s sounds, I heard soft footsteps behind me and knew that I was not alone. In the time since I had arrived at my new home, I had developed a constant shadow. A steady and unwelcome companion that robbed me of all my moments of solitude.

  “Is all well, my King?” Katya asked as she leaned against the door frame.

  I turned to face the woman who was so desperate for my attention. Her dark hair was wild around her beautiful face. She was dressed seductively in a tight, revealing dress, exposing all of the right places to her advantage. If only I could rid myself of the curse of loving Caroline, how easy my life would be. How many times had Katya invited me into her room? How many times had she told me how she could be my loyal queen?

  If only.

  It felt as if my life had become one big hypothetical.

  “All is well,” I replied, watching as her eyes scanned my chest. The attraction she felt for me was so evident and palpable I could feel the desire on her. She made her way slowly to me, seductively walking, knowing the allure she had.

  “You do know that you are standing in the rain?”

  “I am content here.”

  She stepped closer.

  “I too can make you content, but you deny me, my King,” she said, inches away, slowly running her fingers down the side of my face. Staring up at me, her eyes glowing with want as the rain exposed the contours of her body.

  I let her touch me. She put her hand on my chest and traced a line down my navel, stopping an inch away from the waistband of my pants.

  “You are so handsome, Devilyn. You must know how much I want you. How much I want to make you happy.” She leaned in and kissed me softly on the cheek. The sound of thunder collided with the sky as my body remain
ed indifferent to her touch.

  Perhaps she was right.

  Perhaps this was the only way to rid myself of Caroline haunting my every move.

  Try something else.

  When I didn’t flinch as I had in the past, Katya took advantage of the opportunity. She moved her arms up my waist, her fingers brushing the symbol on my arm, and then took my face in her hands.

  “I will make you forget her name.”

  As Katya leaned up to pull me in for a kiss, two of my guards rushed out onto the balcony, looking apologetic when they took in the scene. I easily moved out of Katya’s embrace as she glared at the guards.

  “How dare you interrupt the King!” she yelled, even though she had done the exact same thing.

  I held my hand up to silence her. If she could spit fire she would, I thought with some amusement.

  “Enough.” I looked at the guards questioningly.

  Collin, the taller of the two and captain of the Dark Fae army, looked straight at me.

  “My King, there is—” he looked away from me shamefully.

  “Tell me now.” A feeling of dread moved down my spine.

  “There has been a breach.”

  “Where?” I dreaded the answer.

  “In the room of Sacred Magik. We aren’t sure what has been taken. The room is in shambles.”

  He didn’t need to know what was missing.

  Because I already knew.

  The Spear that I thought I had hidden so well was gone. The Spear of Victory was now in someone else’s hands.

  I could not speak.

  I pushed past them all and made my way down the long corridor to the room of Sacred Magik. The doors flew open before I even touched them, and I stepped inside.

  I fell to my knees in horror.

  Indeed, the stone slab that was home to the Spear was now missing the divine weapon that hadn’t been used for thousands of years.

  All of it meant only one thing.

  My father had escaped.

  The hunt was on, only this time I was the hunted.

  Chapter Four

  “Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains.”

  —Jean-Jacques Rousseau

  The Kingdom of the Light Fae

  She walked with ethereal beauty, like the stars or the moon. She was kindness. Grace. Happiness. Love. She gave peace from a single glance, could take sorrow away with the brush of her hand. She was the Goddess Dana, the Great Mother who had been worshipped since the beginning of time.

  Her purpose on the planet and beyond was to bring love and hope in the face of darkness, and now, as ordained by the Fates, a battle between her people was about to commence. As the laws ruled the Fae, she knew her place within them, and she could not interfere. She could only provide solace and the everlasting spark of hope.

  Her Light moved with speed through the kingdom, and she passed through the realm of the Fae into the world of the humans, where she went to the sacred chamber in Newgrange, the oldest monument on earth. Once inside the holy building she faced the three shrines. Each one had been situated and aligned according to certain stars hovering above. She moved her energy quickly in a circular motion, building an inferno of light until the massive Cauldron of Dagdas emerged from the earth.

  The Cauldron was made of emerald and lapis stone, melded together thousands of years before time even existed. Dana placed her hands on the Cauldron and watched as the holy water of the Fates began to swirl within. Once it was filled, she whispered the ancient prayer. Within seconds three female bodies made their way out of the water and a bright light began to emerge. Dana fell to her knees in reverence when they finally finished taking shape.

  The Fates had arrived.

  The guardians of time, space, and the great force of life. They gave birth to all souls in the universe. They chose destinies, imprinted them within their third eye, and determined what each of their children’s paths would be in every single incarnation. Where Dana was the Mother of the Great Earth, the Fates were the Mother of all things that existed since life began.

  The Fates were beautiful to behold, more so than any other Light being in the vast universe. Their long hair was a mixture of branches from the One Tree of Life and blond, silky strands, falling long to their knees, moving magically around as they faced Dana.

  “You have called us, Great Mother of the Earth.” They spoke in unison. Their voices were soothing, filled with an unearthly cadence that brought tears of joy to Dana’s eyes.

  “Look upon us, child. Though it pains you, this moment has been ordained.”

  “I beseech you,” Dana whispered.

  “The King of the Dark Court follows the path that we have set,” they said as they swirled rhythmically around the Cauldron. “It is what must be.”

  “Is there no other way?”

  “You plead for a mortal girl.”

  “She is more Fae than human. But even so, if she were more mortal, I would still be here. I would plead on behalf of love.”

  “As we know you would. As you are. As we deemed you would be.”

  Dana understood.

  “And the Dark Lord, Alderon?” Dana continued, “Odin, even?”

  “The path of destiny was chosen long ago, canonized in Voynich, imprinted within the fabric of their very souls. Let your love guide them through the darkness that is to come,” they said with finality.

  It was the first time Dana had ever felt sadness. It hit her hard, weakening her; the magnitude of what faced them was heartbreaking even for one who had lived from the beginning of time and had seen the very worst that mankind and the Fae could bring.

  “And as the Fates have spoken, Great Mother, it shall be.”

  “As you command.” Her voice was barely audible.

  Dana watched as they disappeared within the Cauldron.

  Facing the days before her, she would surely long for the days of the past.

  C

  “So, do you miss your friends?”

  “Yeah, sure. It’s hard not to, but I try not to dwell on the past,” Rowan replied as we walked down the hall to our next class. Teddy and I had spent the better part of the week helping Rowan get acquainted with his new school. He was extremely charming, funny, and incredibly flirtatious. Everything about him was a welcome addition to my life.

  He wasn’t in any of my classes, since according to him, academia wasn’t at the top of his “to-do” list. He didn’t see himself as being very book smart, but I found him to be extremely street smart and athletic. As it turned out, he was also an immensely talented football player and easily made friends, even with the team.

  He had only been at Manteo for a week, but had already ingratiated himself to the team, shocking us all. It seemed like everyone liked him right off the bat, which was evident from all of the high fives he got as we walked down the hallway.

  “You have such a great attitude about everything,” I said, wishing I had the same type of assertiveness. “I mean, I love the idea of change, but I’m not sure how well I would do if I had to go through it.”

  “You’ve got to adapt. Life will no doubt throw you curveballs. That’s just life. You can sit there and get hit in the head, or you can duck and keep running.”

  I laughed and couldn’t help but agree.

  “You’re right. I guess I will try and adapt to acting then.” I smiled as we reached my drama class.

  “That’s my girl. Get in there and shake things up. I’ll catch you later.”

  I was still smiling when I walked into class. Mr. Copeland had dimmed the lights and was in the middle of making some announcements.

  “All right, guys! We’re just going to get going with Harvey. Let’s have group number one hit the stage and get this show on the road!” He clapped loudly as he motioned toward the first group. “Front and center. Let’s begin with scene one.”

  I rushed to my seat next to Teddy, barely making my way in the dark while the three students from group one made their way to the st
age to prepare to begin the scene. I felt sorry for them but then immediately wallowed in my own self-pity because I too would soon have to act out the scene.

  “You good?” Teddy asked.

  “I will be when I erase that video from your phone.”

  “It seems that our moody star quarterback has returned,” Teddy said. “Coach Brown must be beside himself.”

  My heart stopped.

  Wait.

  What? Did I hear him correctly?

  Impossible.

  “Thoughts?” Teddy prodded.

  I could barely manage to speak, let alone put together a coherent thought.

  “Who saw him?” I asked softly.

  “Kathy, Ariana, a few others.”

  If they saw him, then he was definitely back.

  I immediately looked down at my outfit. I couldn’t help it. I hadn’t seen him in so long, I needed to make sure that I looked somewhat presentable. I looked the exact opposite. My jeans were cute, but the old T-shirt I decided to wear with it probably wasn’t the way to go on the first week of school. Ugh. The only thing I had going for me today was that I left my waist-long hair down, which I thought was my best attribute.

  Teddy’s mouth was gaping open as he stared at me.

  “What are you doing? Please don’t tell me that you are worried about what you are wearing.”

  OMG. Did Teddy notice? I was nauseated. So blatantly obvious, clearly pathetic.

  “I’m not worried about anything,” I immediately countered, hoping my voice sounded calm.

  “Please. I’ve known you for too long.”

  “You are being ridiculous,” I practically squealed, trying to cover up the reddish hue that was creeping up my cheeks as I nervously ran a hand through my hair.

  “Liar!”

  “I don’t lie.”

  “You do now,” Teddy retorted with great gusto. “Your reaction to Devilyn’s reappearance just told me everything I had suspected last year. Back then I could never be sure because you can be so weird.”