“Where’s the rest of the hunting party?” I asked Father, using my wolven magic to communicate telepathically with him.
“Scattered throughout the area. They’re close-by.” Father’s amber eyes focused forward. “Have you given any thought to the King’s Contest?”
The King’s Contest. It was due to be held this year. Father was aging, and soon, it would be expected for a newcomer to take his place. Twenty years had passed since he’d taken the throne, and now, the Seven Gods demanded that another be chosen. But the crown wouldn’t just be handed to me by birthright… I’d have to fight for it, against a handful of other greedy competitors who wanted the throne for themselves. It was the only way to prove I was strong enough to lead the Arcanea.
“It’s all that’s been on my mind.” So much was true. I’d been practicing for the King’s Contest since I’d learned what it was, shortly after I could walk.
“I know you are ready with strength and skill. Your magic is strong, as are your chances of winning the Contest.” Father paused to look at me. “But you can’t do it alone.”
I suppressed an inward groan. I already knew where this was going.
“Don’t give me that look. I won’t be around forever, Ethan. I need you to find a mate, so that you can carry on in my place and make sure Malovia is protected.”
I wasn’t sure why having a Marked to stand by my side as queen was so damn important. And I’d told him so, many times.“Perhaps I’ll never find a mate. I haven’t yet. Maybe the time’s already passed,”I said.
“Don’t speak of such things.” Father’s tone was gruff.“Do you wish for the Seven Gods to curse you?”
“I am not cursed.” I spoke sharply. I knew others whispered such things about me, going unbonded for this long. Most people found their mates within their freshman year at Arcanea University. As much as I wanted to prove the rumors wrong… I didn’t feel ready yet to find a bride.
“Your queen is your greatest ally. She is your fiercest warrior, your most loyal protector, and your most faithful friend. A king cannot run his kingdom properly unless he has a sorceress to stand by his side.” Father sighed. “And I am worried you may never find yours.”
“I’ll find someone.” If I wanted to participate in the King’s Contest at the end of the year, I had to have a mate first. The rules said I needed to be engaged first in order to compete. Yuck.
“I don’t want you to find just any girl. This is the most important decision of your life. Time is running short,” Father scolded. “You don’t want to end up like me.”
I made a non-committal sound. I knew my mother was not my father’s Marked. My father’s true mate had run off a long time ago, though he never said why. He always vowed he could’ve accomplished ten times more than what he already did if his real Marked had become his queen, although he never spoke this openly in the presence of my mother. He loved her, too, and Mother was an accomplished sorceress herself… but having a wife wasn’t the same as having a mate, something he’d drilled into my head from the moment I’d come out of the womb. There would always be a part of him that was missing, and he didn’t want the same to happen to me.
Myself, I didn’t get it. I was never one for romance. Didn’t interest me. Girls were pretty, and they were nice, but I had bigger concerns on my mind than dating them. Mostly snowboarding and hockey, and learning as much as I could from my dad about ruling Malovia, so I could do the same one day.
Father seemed to notice I was getting melancholy, so he pressed his shoulder into mine. “I have faith that within the year, you will find your true mate. But whatever may come, know that I will always be proud of you. You will be a great king.”
The statement humbled me. I’d spent most of my life fearing that I would screw up. That I’d fail to win the King’s Contest, or even worse, somehow ruin the kingdom.
My Da had faith in me. And that meant everything.
I went to say something back, but words failed me. As I finally came up with something, there was a cracking sound somewhere up ahead—- the sound of saplings breaking in half.
“Shh. Something’s here.” Father paused. I kept my mouth shut and pricked my ears up, listening.
I heard something moving before us, tearing up roots. A strange scent filled my nose. It wasn’t like anything I’d ever smelled before. It was equal parts sweet and woodsy, as well as slightly rotten. It screamed at me to keep away.
“It’s there. In the glen,”I whispered. There was a part up ahead where the trees broke and the wilderness became a long, sloping valley. That’s where our monster was.
Father crouched. “Perhaps we can sneak up on it, before it determines we are here.”
This would be an easy kill. Sneak up, jump, and give a fatal bite to the monster’s neck before it even saw us coming. We’d barely see any action.
I followed his lead. “I’m right behind you.”
“Stay low.” Father advanced. I remained behind him, though it was hard to see where I was going with his big wings in the way, blocking my view.
The trees ended. Father crouched, then sprung, spreading his wings wide. I copied him, raising my lips in a snarl as I leapt into the air, planning to tackle whatever he had spotted into the ground.
But then Father faltered, and his wings drew back. He weaved in the air and hovered over the ground, avoiding whatever he’d initially tried to attack. I had no such way to prevent myself from halting my charge, so instead, I shifted my weight in mid-air to turn away. I hit the ground and rolled, wondering why the hell my father had drawn back.
When I lifted my eyes to witness the creature, I understood why. We had made a critical mistake.
The creature was like something out of a storybook. It was twelve feet tall, with tree roots for feet and long, dangling arms that dragged along the ground and ended in black claws, connected to a masculine form. Its head was that of a deer’s, with large antlers growing out of either side of its head. The deer’s head had sharp, ravenous teeth, and a skeletal body that had grey skin dangling loosely off bone. Plants grew out of every orifice. It was hard to tell what was bone and what was branch.
