A Dark Faerie Tale Series Omnibus Edition (10 page)

Shade’s mouth dropped open at Jack. He glanced at her and smiled. “Just kidding, she’s vegan.”

Shade groaned and straightened up. Shaking her head, she fell in line with the warriors, eager to leave these woods behind her.

Chapter Six

THE TELEEN HILLS
were like large swells of waves, flowing with the greenest of emerald grasses. The blades of grass rolled and swayed lightly, caressed by the wind. The air flew in constant rushes, whipping everyone’s long tresses about them like tangled dancing ribbons. Shade’s own wavy brown hair looked to be the shortest of the entourage’s, except for Ewan’s. All the women’s hair seemed to be almost waist length, many with ornate braids, ties or thin ropes wrapped through like extensions. Most of the colors were unnatural; nothing a human man or woman would ever possess naturally. Waves of golden brown, reds deep as rubies, blacks as dark as midnight, and browns like tiger’s eyes flowed in the breezes. It was quite a dance of flashing colors.

Shade felt a twinge of jealousy. Nothing but human light brown hair danced on her head, nothing fey-like about it. It made her wonder what she had that resembled the fey at all. Maybe she had turned out to be more human than fey. Maybe they had the wrong girl after all. It could be she had no magic besides her spirit guides. She couldn’t perform glamour or heal anything, let alone fight or enchant like the Dryad queen.

Shade shivered, recalling the queen’s cold stare and the ice-cold prison of air that had kept her tightly within its grasp. It had made her want to faint from a lack of oxygen. It was not something she cared to remember.

Her legs burned with the constant strain of hiking up and down the hills. The hills appeared smooth with grass but were rocky and uneven. Her tennis shoes weren’t made for such rigorous hiking. She paused, leaned over and placed her hands on her knees. Her lungs ached with effort, and breathing felt like a burning torture. A faint metallic taste clung to her mouth as she coughed up spit. She was not a fan of the physically gifted. Her idea of a good time was curling up on her bed with a thick book. There was no way she would’ve voluntarily done anything that resembled hiking before this. Her idea of camping was a campsite where you could walk to your car and a public restroom. It had been as close as she got to being outdoorsy.

This sucks.

“You all right?” Soap paused just ahead of her, craning his neck to see her face.

Shade’s cheeks were pink with heat from the strain. She swallowed her blood-tainted saliva and nodded.
I can do this, no problem. Just breathe Shade, breathe.
The problem was that she didn’t quite believe herself
.
Turning toward Braelynn, who had also come to a stop by her, she attempted a weak smile for the sorceress when she gave Shade a gentle pat on the back.

“The trail will be hard; not just for you, but for all of us. In time, you’ll grow accustomed to the rigorous terrain. Are you having trouble catching your breath? I have a potion you can take for that. It’s kind of like asthma medicine. Most faeries don’t have that kind of trouble, but I prepare treatments for all kinds of people.” Shade grinned, feeling at ease with the kind warrior. “I knew it was a possibility with a human coming along. Let me know if you need it,” Braelynn offered. She grinned back and moved to continue to trek in the direction of the others.

Shade sighed and closed her eyes. She knew Braelynn was being kind, but her words made her feel a twinge of inferiority, being human and all. She wondered how all of the fey felt about humans in general. Stereotyping was probably not just a human trait, and she wondered if the group thought she was weak. She hoped not.

She straightened up, took a deep breath in and attempted the hill again. The afternoon sun burned down on her, and her hair felt afire. Peeking into her backpack, she remembered her baseball cap, which she’d stuffed into it earlier. It came to her fingers as quickly as she thought it. She was never going to get used to how cool that was. Shade zipped up her backpack and pulled the cap over the wavy strands that now fell away from her ponytail. She was glad she’d remembered to bring it; her head was thanking her for it.

Shade was about to ask someone if they were getting any closer to the mountain caves of the Teleen when she heard Ewan’s booming voice echoing back to her.

“The mountains are about a mile away, not too far. We’ll be eating dinner in no time.” He chuckled back toward the group and patted his belly.

Ewan wasn’t the only one thinking about food. Shade’s stomach had been protesting for the last hour. She had snacked on a granola bar, but it’d gone straight through her. She’d worked up an appetite for something a bit more substantial before her body began to turn on itself for dinner.

The last mile seemed to drag on more than the last five. Shade’s back and shoulders ached from carrying the backpack. Although it wasn’t too heavy, any kind of weight seemed to get old after carrying it for a while. She was not cut out for this hiking crap. Being sweaty, thirsty and, worst of all, having a thin layer of dirt that clung to everything and her skin, made her cranky and exhausted. There were streaks across her face from the mixture of sweat and dirt. Her hair frizzed out from under her cap, and some of it was stuck to her moist neck, which was itching up a storm. She suspected she had a blister or two forming on her feet, and her knees felt like they were going to fall apart.

Gritting her teeth, she rounded one of the last hills and gasped. The mouth of a cave roared above them. It was pitch black and very wide. The dirt and grass continued into the cave until the blackness swallowed it up. The wind howled over the hole, wailing eerily. To Shade, it did not seem like anyone lived there.
This can’t be it
.

The rest of the gang gathered around the entrance as Ewan held up his hands to the air and mumbled some words. Shade looked about, not seeing anyone else around them. The feeling of being watched returned, with a vengeance. Her eyes moved up the cliffs that gave way to a jagged overhang. The rock formation was shaped like a half moon, and it wasn’t just a simple hole or opening in the wall.  The rocks were expansive, and they looked as if they may crumble onto anyone who dared to walk into the cave underneath it.

A shiver of glamour swept over her, like ripples in a pool of water, and all around the cave.
Of course!
The looming stones were a deterrent, like a spell of reluctance to whoever passed by, making them fear the large hanging rocks and stay clear of them. As Ewan spoke softly, the glamour melted away, revealing an enormous double door. The door had intricate carvings and was made of heavy wood that appeared old and weathered. Shade drew in her breath, amazed by how beautiful it was.

The wood blended into the shades of rock around it and seemed to fade into the background if she did not stare right at it.
Wow, what kind of people live here to make such a fascinating place?
She watched as the group gathered around the great doorway while Ewan gave the enormous doors a good shove. They creaked loudly as they opened. The groan they emitted made it clear they were rarely used. He motioned for the group to follow him.

As they entered the archway, the darkness swallowed them. Soon after, a flickering light ignited from the torches that lined the walls. The doors slammed behind them with a thunderous clap. Everyone jumped, and some had even drawn their weapons while staring at the large doors. It seemed they had closed by themselves, because no one in the group had closed them. There was no one else in the room.
This is unsettling
. Shade turned back toward the darkness ahead.
Where is everyone?
She followed her group while thinking this, wondering when the people who lived here would greet them.

They walked deeper into the dismal cave to where it led into a massive room. There were tall stone columns that reached high above them; they were made of the same grey-streaked white rock as the rest of cave. There appeared to be no one there, but to Shade’s surprise, the torches around the room began to light up by themselves to brighten the space. Soon after, figures appeared out of the shadows, also holding torches. They materialized from the darkness in the blink of an eye. Each one of them was dressed in guard’s uniforms, and they were engulfed in white and blue flames while electricity crackled along their skin. Shade thought of Jack and his powers. Surely, they must be Teleen.

The guards came to a stop in the middle of the room, completely surrounding them. Their eyes shone luminously, and their bodies rippled with the heat of their fire. They scared Shade, and she struggled to contain her shock. They were much more frightening than Jack had been, maybe because there were so many of them. She hoped they were not going to harm them. They made her hair stand on end as their magic and power buzzed across the room. It was like a swarm of bees or static tingling on her skin.

“Um, Ewan, are we in danger here?” Sary shouted to the giant. One hand on her bow and the other with an arrow ready to fly if needed.

He waved back at her, shaking his head but not responding. His other hand flew up, palm facing the guards as he spoke. “Guard of the Teleen, we’re here under invitation of your queen. Our Queen, Zinara, has sent word of our arrival. Please stand down. I demand to speak with the Captain of the Guard.”

The group tightened together as the guards’ proximity grew closer. Everyone backed into each other as sword after sword was drawn and arrows nocked. Knives were also unsheathed and glinting. Everyone was ready, except Shade.

She was sweating and feeling her stomach knot into a tight cramp. She pulled one of her own knives out of her pack, shaking profusely as she gripped it. Once again, she realized her lack of training for a fight. She felt naked and exposed as she shrank into the circle of bodies around her, and let them shield her from the guards.

The Captain of the Guard stepped up and pointed his sword to the ground. He glowed a brilliant white blue all over his exposed skin. The fire burned so brightly, it hurt Shade’s eyes to look at him. He seemed to realize this and immediately weaved glamour over his lighted body, assuming a more human appearance. The tan skin over his large muscles still seemed to glow slightly as the fire receded. His eyes were a blue-green fire that slowly turned to steel grey and gleamed in the torchlight. He was extremely handsome, and his long, black hair pulled taut into a low ponytail. In awe of him, Shade sucked in her breath. His charm ended as he spoke and narrowed his eyes at them, smirking.

“So, this is Queen Zinara’s last hope? Don’t really look like much, do you?” He laughed, but it sounded full of spite more than anything.

“Dylan,” Jack responded. “Good to see you again; it’s been a long time.”

The captain briefly scrutinized Jack but barely acknowledged him. “You were so easy to surround and entrap. I thought for sure that she’d have known better than to send such a weak force to do the job of soldiers. I’ll never understand her ways.” He walked around the group, eyeing them with distain. Their weapons were drawn, but no one seemed to be holding them in readiness. Everyone was waiting.
Waiting for what
? Shade wished she knew.

Dylan came around to stand by Shade, having passed by the ring of warriors in the group as if they were not even there. He inspected Shade with an intensity that dug into her skin. He reached out to her to touch her cheek, but she stepped back, remembering what Jack had told her about touching a Teleen. He could electrocute her if he wanted to. She was not going take the chance to find out.

“Are you afraid of me?” Dylan sneered as his hand returned to his side. He seemed to be pondering a thought as his eyes pierced back at her. Shade made no further movements but avoided his glare. Leaning forward, he tilted his head slightly, whispering just loud enough for her to hear him. “You rightfully should be.”

He gave his head the slightest of shakes and spun back around toward his guards. Signaling them to back off, he turned back to the travelers and addressed them all.

“I have announced you to our queen. She’ll be most pleased to meet all of you, especially your precious halfling.” He chuckled, sending a tingle across Shade’s skin. He wasn’t just Teleen. She was willing to bet he was something else, too. She was almost sure of it. Even so, she wasn’t quite sure that he knew it. Jack couldn’t do magic with his voice like this one could. Shade shivered from the aftereffects of his rippling laughter and close proximity. She ran her hands up and down her arms, trying to rub the feeling away with the warmth of friction. Shade wondered why she could sense that he was different. Maybe a power of hers was finally waking up.

After the captain signaled for them to leave, the guards departed, falling into step behind each other. No one was quite relaxed yet, remaining on alert. The group fell in behind the soldiers and followed. The hall seemed to stretch on forever, and Shade’s stomach grumbled again, making her glad that all the noise of the footsteps absorbed the sound of it. She hoped they would find a nice banquet waiting for them. She could only hope for such a thing from what she’d seen so far.

The ground was also made of stone; smoothed down and worn from years of use. It was a darker grey, and sandy in color with bits of red and yellow speckled throughout it. The entire hall was the same color. There were no decorations, and nothing but the burning torches to indicate that anyone even lived there. They reached the end of the great hall as it funneled into a smaller tunnel.

The torches continued along each side of the cave. The stone did not change much, and Shade could not find any doors, much less windows. Claustrophobia seemed to creep in as she tried to slow her breathing to remain calm. The air was cool, and never seemed to change in temperature. The smell of earth, mold and humid dirt grew stronger the deeper they went. Shade swore she could hear water echoing far away and vibrating against the walls. These tunnels probably ran so deep that you could pop out on the other side of the world.
Not really a comforting thought
.