AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Until that moment, I’d never even heard of Gatekeepers or alternate universes, but the next thing I knew, we were in the Lost Land in cages at Vaeront’s castle in the west.
Zaylee and I weren’t the only women he’d collected. Princess Danyetta, Kirian and Quinn’s daughter, and her lady in waiting, Isla, were there as well.
Last time I saw the girls, they were staring at me fearfully through the iron bars of their prisons as I was dragged away to be given to Armand as a “pretty maid.” Honestly, I was more scared for them than I was for myself. They were facing futures much worse than mine because of their ages. Young means fertile. Fertile means they can give the men here something I can’t—children.
If I’ve got anything going for me, it’s the fact that fae women lose their ability to get pregnant around the age of forty-five, and I passed that phase of my life thousands of years ago.
“What happened to the other girls who were taken to Vaeront’s?” I inquire hesitantly.
That’s probably one of the first questions I should’ve asked Kai, but I’ve been too afraid. Because if he doesn’t give me the answer I need, I’m not sure I can handle it.
“Princess Danyetta and Lady Isla were rescued,” Kai tells me. “They’re both back in Valora.”
Some tightness releases from my lungs. “And Zaylee? Did she escape this place? Please tell me she’s home and safe.”
I think of the vision inside Armand’s gem.
Zaylee’s lifeless face.
That glass casket.
Kai frowns. “I cannot tell you of her location, unfortunately. She’s missing.”
My heart drops. “Missing?”
“It seems she ended up in the company of a barbarian tribe.”
“But-but the barbarians only reside out there… in The Unknown.”
The wall of the maze is blocking my view, but I can imagine the desolate expanse of land beyond it. I’ve seen it from the third floor of Armand’s castle while I was cleaning. It’s an infinite desert with high winds, dust storms, and the confusing passing of time.
Throughout The Unknown, there are enchanted areas, just like Armand’s territory. In those bubbles, the mind can think clearly, but those sanctuaries are few and far between.
“Pippin is searching for her right now.” Kai injects a more upbeat tone into his voice, rather than his normal deep grumble, and I suspect he’s trying to sound positive for me. “He’s a Seeker, so locating people is his specialty.”
“Pippin,” I practically spit the name. “He was supposed to be protecting us the afternoon we got taken by Ellister, but he was too busy flirting with some girls on a trail near our picnicking spot.”
“So I’ve been informed.” Kai’s grumpiness surges back at the reminder of Pippin’s mistake. “If he doesn’t find Princess Zaylee, he will not be forgiven. He’ll be put to death, and even though he’s been a good friend of mine for many years, I wouldn’t be able to deny that he deserves it.”
We’re almost to the first turn in the maze, and when I glance back at the entrance, it seems so far away.
Armand and his crew are no longer there. My guess is, he’s inside where he’s happy with his husband and his horde of miserable servants.
“Zaylee was sweet on Pippin, too, you know?” I say sadly. “I could tell she was trying to hide it, but it was obvious to me. She worshipped him.”
Kai’s face scrunches up with disgust. “But she’s a child.”
My smile is soft. “Children have crushes sometimes. I didn’t say he returned her affection. Evidently, he did not, and he broke her heart. His careless actions smashed her idyllic hopes, and I think her feelings about him changed that day. It doesn’t matter now anyway because…” I suppress a hitch in my voice before rasping, “Because I think she isn’t alive anymore.”
The words are hard to say, and they stop Kai in his tracks.
When he rotates to face me, the biggest scar down his forehead and cheek is deepened from the way he’s furrowing his brow. “What makes you think that?”
Once I get past the lump in my throat, I tell him what I saw in Armand’s amulet, and before he can refute it with some rational explanation, I say, “Everything else Armand has shown me is true.”
“What else has he shown you?”
Closing my eyes briefly, I shake my head to rid myself of the images of bad memories. Of being attacked. Violated in the worst way by my own husband. Forced to watch the horrible scenes of my darkest moments like they were part of a movie.
