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“Did we pass or not?” Neo snapped. It was clear he was agitated, and that the others felt the same.
“If you hadn’t, you would be dead,” Malachi announced, matter-of-factly.
Marilyn sucked in a breath. The rest of us were stunned into silence.
“Great,” Malachi announced with a clap of his hand. “Now that you’ve been approved, let’s get you the King and Queen, shall we? They’re excited to meet you.”
Sariel and I exchanged wary glances. Sure. “Excited.” That was why we’d just undergone a recruitment process that could have killed us.
“Lead the way,” I said, gesturing vaguely to the unexplored depths of Italy behind him. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
It turned out the “worst that could happen” was traveling via Guardians, who were, for all intents and purposes, the fae version of Paras. Their get-up was far more interesting to look at than the American Paranormal Police, they were definitely larger and meaner, and according to Malachi, their purpose was not dissimilar, though he likened them to royal lap dogs. They weren’t capable of holding their own investigations, but could carry out an order where necessary.
The giant fae were blessed with the gift of transportation, able to pop in and out of places they were familiar with a simple thought. On top of that, they could take anyone or anything they touched with them. It made running from them almost impossible.
We were deposited unceremoniously in an open square of what Malachi referred to as the “Central Free Kingdom.” According to Google maps, we were in the Czech Republic, and more specifically, Prague.
As soon as we were back on our feet, Reese hobbled over to a planter, bent at the waist, and hurled up the contents of her stomach. I observed the way Neo gingerly held her up with one hand and secured her hair away from her face quizzically.
A male angel and a human woman… that sounded like the makings of something terrible. History did indeed repeat itself.
I approved.
“Are we inPrague?” Michaelson asked, mouth agape.
We were facing the Church of Our Lady before Týn, and my stomach got butterflies at the sprawling gothic structure. Whoever had said this building was beautiful was a liar; it was terrifying up close, and especially in the waning light of the setting sun. Its ancient architecture, old walls, and dark spires made my skin crawl.
“Yes. Just for a little history lesson before you meet our Majesties. Some fun facts,” Malachi explained, pacing in front of the church as Marilyn pointed out the other buildings in the square to Johnny. “They’ve been around long enough to have met the first fornicating Grigori and their offspring. They were unpleasant, to say the least. It’s little wonder they were cursed—”
“You were around back then, too?” Michaelson interrupted.
Malachi tossed him a scathing look. “No, I’m telling you what the King and Queen have said. Don’t interrupt me again. This was back when the lands were divided, where the Seelie King ruled the top half of Europe, and the Unseelie Queen ruled the lower half.”
I opened my mouth to ask how they ruled now, but snapped it shut at his glare. “They're quite a bit older than those blood-sucking supernaturals, and their arrangement changed when supernaturals and humans introduced heavy metals and other things into the Earth. Don’t even get me started on the pollution,” he huffed. “What I’m trying to say is, they’re old. Respect them; they don’t value life as you do. They have lived many, many lifetimes.”
It was only with these words did I realize that Jae was no longer with us.
“If you want to stay alive, you’ll nod once to indicate that you’ve understood, because moving forward, you will meet their subjects and learn how revered they are. If you say or do the wrong thing….”
He made a vague slashing movement with his fingers across his throat “...you could end up dead.”
I gulped, then nodded along with everyone else.
This could go really bad, really fast. And there might be nothing we could do about it, because we were completely at their mercy.
22
THE FREE KINGDOM
Aria
The opportunity to experience life as freely as a person of the appropriately named Free Kingdom was tempting, despite their cultish behavior and random altars erected in honor of their King and Queen on street corners.
Malachi’s warning went through one ear, was perceived and understood, and promptly exited the other ear as he led us into the Church of Our Lady before Tyn. The inside was like a train station, absolutely teeming with supernatural beings milling around the pews.
Booths were set up along the perimeter of the pews; what they were selling, I had no clue, because I was too busy gawking at the fact that this was happening inside one of Prague's most popular tourist attractions. It was after-hours, granted, but still.
The square didn’t have many people, and in the time it took for Malachi to essentially threaten our lives, I hadn’t seen anyone enter or leave the building. How the hell all these supernaturals got in, I had no idea, and the place wasfilled.
