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The font glowed underneath, sparking blue until streams of fog rose to form a moving image of fae racing beneath the heavy canopy of trees.
I sat back with a gasp, the images shifting to an aerial view of the map from the previous page. Only now the borders glowed in different colors.
“The courts were split by element; earth, water, fire, and air.”She pointed to the four corners, each court flaring when their element was called.
“If these four were the elemental fae, then what did the purple kingdom rule?” I ask, pointing to the middle kingdom.
“They were charged with the most important element. The Soul.”Roya’s other hand rested gently over her chest.
“The soul? So they were like priests?” I ask, imagining fae in the white robes of the sun god, I shook the image away, disturbed by it for some reason.
“In a way, mainly they dealt in dreams. In matters of the heart and mind. In healing the unseen and seen. The fifth court were the Keepers of the Wood, of Avalon’s heart.”Her tinkling voice faded as the map zoomed in to show the Wood, full of life and laughing fae. The Dragons and feathered fae swooped down from floating islands while dryads and nymphs wove between trees. The wood continued to the North where elusive marble-skinned fae dove into tunnels and merfolk splashed along rivers and seas.
“This wood?” I asked incredulously. “It’s different from the Dreadwood.” I traced the smoking pictures of vibrant green and red leaves dripping from their boughs. The complete opposite of the twisted dead branches that made up the entirety of the Dreadwood.
“It is… and it isn’t,”she says squeezing my hand gently before skipping several chapters to find another. A shroud of shadows bound this chapter which she absorbed into herself.
“Our wood was one of life, of mischief, of chaos, the perfect playground. Then the humans arrived. They soon decided the Wild Wood was too alive, too mischievous, too unpredictable, and so some of them attempted cutting it back only to find their axes broken, their swords rusting overnight, and unable to spark a flame. It became apparent to them at that point they could either make alliances, or leave. Most joined with the druids, who convinced the wood to recede to allow for farming. Others with the earth fae who preferred the rocky cliffs and islands to the east. Those with a lingering love of the sea mingled with the merfolk, but almost none found favor with the folk of the south.”
“Why?” I ask, their floating islands seeming to call to me the most.
“We were untamed, and so our wood stayed wild, our floating islands a haven for all our kind. The humans grew, and with them came kingdoms that declared we were hiding some great treasure behind our impassable wood, or within our islands. So a king struck a bargain with an unknown force that promised him and his people the necessary strength and immortality to far outlast any of the fae.”
I saw a King on his throne shaking hands with a blurred figure, drinking from a golden chalice only to clutch his throat in pain. His eyes rolled back as all life drained from his skin. The surrounding guards dropped their weapons, bowing in pain. The smoke changed, showing an entire kingdom dropping to the ground, curled up in pain until it returned to the King, his eyes glowing red.
“Those that survived the change became an army, one he directed toward the Wild Wood. The Fae were arrogant, too used to their immortality to care if a predator bit them, too certain of their strength to believe a human could best them. And so we fell, and with our fall weakened the wood we loved so well.”She said, the chord of her voice changing to a discordant, minor tune. I squeezed her hand reflexively and the corners of her eyes crinkled in gratitude.
“Why tell me this? You have no reason to trust me.” I finally managed. Though there was no reason for me to believe any of what I saw was true, there was something about it that called to me, that seemed to lessen the ever-present veil of hatred in my mind.
“I have a thousand reasons to trust you. Memories do not lie. I know you see all vampires as your enemy. That they are the strong against the weak, but not all vampire kind are the monsters you’ve seen. I hope you’ll allow yourself enough grace to believe the truth when you hear it.” She paused, brushing her hand down her legs as if to smooth a skirt that wasn’t there before continuing. “Besides, it’s as much my story to tell as anyone’s in the keep, though I had to borrow Ravensford’s copy. So I’d appreciate it if we kept that between us.”
The idea of him owning a book felt preposterous, although his family seal did have a key. And he had said something about loving mysteries. Perhaps there was more to the hulking brute than met the eye.
“Your secret is safe with me,” I say, handing the book back to her. She took it with the empty tray.
“The Mistress will be returning soon so I’ll leave you for now. Just know, that not everything is what it seems. Especially when it comes to matters of the heart.”
With that cryptic message she was gone. Perhaps she’d belonged to the fifth court. Maybe she was trying to heal me of some wound I wasn’t aware of. However, it still didn’t make sense as to why she would volunteer so much information without reciprocation.
Eleven
“Roya told me you trained all day, still planning on killing me then are you?” She spoke while discarding her gown, slowly again.
So that was to be our cover, the dress was certainly stained enough to look like I’d spent the whole day training. I called up the anxiety from this morning to craft my answer.
“You mentioned that this keep is full of vampires that might not be amenable to the presence of a Slayer. I also know you keep humans here, though not how they’re viewed by these vampires. Should my presence be made known, I like to know I can defend myself. Despite being on a leash.” I spat out the last part, as if it was a handicap she was imposing to my fighting form rather than an open degradation.
“So despite telling you I’d protect you, you still feel in danger.” She seemed insulted by the thought.
“I’m leashed to a bed, I’m not sure how you expect me to not feel vulnerable to attack,” I state, ignoring for the moment that I’d overcome that fear with Roya. Enjoyed her presence even.
“I gave you my word, told you I don’t lie.” She paced closer, her skirts flicking behind her.
“So because you promised you wouldn’t hurt me… or lie… I should feel safe stripped of my weapons, in unfamiliar territory and clothes, leashed to the bed.”
“Most people would be paying me good money to have them leashed to my bed, dressed in the clothes I tailor-made for them from high-quality cloth no less.”
“Then leash them to the bed!” I shouted, ignoring the twisting in my stomach at the picture. It wasn’t difficult since we were having this conversation with her mostly in the nude.
