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Fourteen
Callum
Sliding down the cavern, I slapped my hands together then out, molding the stone in the cavern to bend to my will. Though I couldn’t see them, the stop of their cries let me know I’d caught them in time.
A blue light bubbled to the cliff’s edge, Kelia holding Mab tightly as the stone beneath them rose. Running, I jumped onto the rock, and guided the stone pillar up the slanted ground to a safer, flatter area of the ruins.
The stone thudded to the ground in the center of the ruins, right next to the dead creature.
“Let’s not do that again,” I said with a huff and plopped on the ground next to the trembling females.
Mab sobbed into Kelia who looked as disheveled as her appearance. Blood and dirt caked her face, but she was alive. They both were and that’s all that mattered.
“There, there,” I said, patting Mab’s back. “The monster is dead, and we can go back home.”
“Is it really dead?” Mab sat up rubbing her face, sniffling.
“It is,” I said with a smile. “You did quite a lot of damage. How did you get to be so strong?”
Wiping her eyes, she shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Her mannerisms reminded me so much of Lara. The queen never said who Mab’s mother was and I wondered which of the royal children sired such a brave child.
A dazed far off look filled Kelia’s eyes. She was either in shock or hurt. Gently, I touched her arm. “And how is our human friend doing?”
She turned to me, no snark, no anger, just a void in her pale blue eyes.
“Are you hurt, Kelia?” Mab sniffled and touched Kelia’s head. “I think she’s got a bad cut. Can we go now?”
“Of course,” I said, pulling Mab off Kelia. “I dropped the transporter. I’ll find it. You two stay here.” Standing, I started heading toward the area of the ruins the two females had been in when my fae senses sent a warning at my back, lighting my nerves on fire. I whirled around, my palms already ablaze.
But it was too late.
Dark fae covered the ruins, most of them hidden by their assassin gear, blending into the shadows, and right in the center was their prince. Prince Eldritch held Mab’s hand.
“It’s been a long time, old friend,” he said at me. “You look better than expected.”
A black crown rested on his long silver hair, his expression as hard as the queen’s emotions. He wore black and silver scaled armor, a sign he was ready to fight.
“Prison food isn’t as bad as you think,” I replied with a smile, extinguishing the flames on my hands and strolling forward. “What brings you to the area?”
“You know how I fancy a good stroll through the dark,” he replied with a smirk. Fae moved in closer on my flanks, weapons and magic ready to protect their prince.
My gaze went to Kelia who now stood, expression back to the stoic magi girl I knew. “I thought you were going to lunch with your mother?”
Prince Eldritch narrowed his gaze, stepping away from Mab and closer to me, his men moving in step with them. “You see, that’s my mother’s problem. She isn’t conservative where it matters. She thinks she can read me and anticipate my reactions. She thinks I’m predictable, but I had a wise mentor who taught me to use my opponent’s pride against them. She was blinded by her perception of me. She thought the status of facing her in parlay would entice my simple mind that I want to be seen as her equal. Why would I want to seem equal to my inferior?”
“Whose being prideful now?” I had taught the prince well, trained him to be king one day, and though his actions were risky, part of me filled with pride.
“At least mine is warranted. Look where you are.Exactly, where I wanted you so I could offer you something much more valuable than your freedom. A place by my side serving as the general of my armies. You should never have been exiled. My mother was a fool to wed Lara and an even bigger fool to send Lara’s only child to a surface war.”
The realization that Mab was Lara’s sent a wave of uneasiness through me. While I had trained all the royal children, Lara was my favorite and I gave up everything to keep her safe, but I couldn’t reveal that I cared, not now. “And if I only wanted my freedom, what then?”
Two fae warriors grabbed Kelia by the arms, another six surrounded me. Surprisingly, my little sparrow didn’t have that fancy lasso of hers out and about. She either realized we were outnumbered or had spent her magic.
“Uncle E, those are my friends.” Mab frowned at the prince. “You’re not being nice!”
With a nod, a guard with a full face covering picked Mab up and walked into the shadows, disappearing from sight.
