Dark Throne, The (17 page)

"After a couple wed, it is a brief space of time for them
to celebrate t
heir
nuptials.”

"A honeymoon, ah
. No,
I guess things will be too hectic for us, won't they?"

"Yes
. I have often
lamented my role in the kingdoms. Never more so than
now.”

"We'll have time together, eventually
.”

He glared at nothing in particular and
hummed agreement under his breath.

Fade was tired of having to answer to a kingdom that
detested him
. He was tired of
being the savior of said kingdom, when his father ranted and raved
like a lunatic and instigated petty wars between tribal
factions.

Now his father was dead, that would cease to occur but he
didn't doubt that grievances would soon be aired about the
throwback claiming the kingdom and taking his rightful position
as
heir to the
throne.

It would have to be faced
. He knew that. Regretted it, but knew it all the same and
as he'd always done, would have to take the knocks on the
chin.

Having Heather by his side would certainly ease
matters
.

She hadn't been poisoned by his father's hatred for
him
, they had the beginnings
of a good relationship and a part of him dreaded such purity being
soiled.

He'd lied, when he'd told her his talents were solely on
the battlefield
.

He did have some streaks of clairvoyance within
him
. Not enough to be worthy
of mention, but he'd avoided speaking of it all the
same.

Simply because that which he dreaded, would soon
occur
.

Tightening his arm, he nuzzled his face into her side and
murmured, "Rest a while longer, sweetling
. We'll begin our journey as soon as night falls. I
can't deny, I'm curious to see how much time has passed during my
short stay here.”

"It can't be long, can it
? You've only been gone. . . . well, tonight, you'll have
been here one and a half days.”

"I have a feeling there is no rhythm or rhyme to the time
gaps
. Let us hope little time
has passed, dearling. Otherwise there will be political tensions to
add to our welcome home.”

King's Chambers, Haden,
Mearth

"You have but a week for your precious prince to return,
Merrick
. I hope you have
ensured there are enough coins in the council coffers for an
opulent coronation?"

Calder studied the prim visage of Merrick, a man who had
graduated from pain in the arse to arch nemesis throughout the year
he'd spent as Haden's lesser King
. Merrick floated in front of him, his picture projected
from a quartz rock and on to the ceiling above Calder's bed. As he
spoke, one of the maids suckled his cock. Whether Merrick was aware
of it or not, Calder neither knew nor cared.

"There is still time
.
I'm certain Fade will return.”

"I did not ask that question, Merrick
. I've been a good King this year. I deserve a
glorious coronation.”

"A good King
? I doubt
that. The people detest you. They curse you for what you are - a
pretender hovering like a vulture about the throne.”

"They despise Fade all the more
,” Calder bit out, his hand tightening in the maid's
hair and pulling her free from his cock. She cried out in pain, but
he ignored her.

"No
. They dislike
Fade's wings and they dislike how they were the cause of so much
turmoil as his father sought a female to beget another male heir.
But it is Fade's rightful place. I have heard them talk. Heard
their words. They wish for Fade to return.”

"Well, the great unwashed have no say in the
matter
. If Fade cannot return
to this realm, then there is no one else.”

"You would be surprised at what alternatives there are,
Calder
.”

Chapter
Eight

The very dourness of Merrick's voice scratched Calder in
all of the wrong places
. He'd
have jolted upright were it not for the location of the projector.
He damned his earlier arrogance that if Merrick wished to see him,
then the projector could be placed
in situ
.

"You bastard
. You want
the throne for yourself.”

"No
. I would not wish
to receive such a weighty bounty. Your predecessor has left Haden
in a quagmire of insolvency. However, if Fade does not return, then
my family has more right to the Dark Throne than some pompous
upstart with no royal right, save the fact his whore of a mother
swived a King.”

Calder barely reigned in his anger
. "The people will not agree with it.”

"The people would prefer one of the lesser Barons to be
King than you, a mere mage
.
And not even a very proficient one at that. You wormed your way
into the castle keep thanks to your lineage. Fade's mother took
pity on you and undoubtedly, you fed her some nonsense. My father
always said he thought you had something to do with her death. . .
. I shall leave you with that thought. As lesser King, you have no
powers. The might you had as mage is no longer with you since you
relinquished the position. It would be easy to dispose of you. . .
. have a care, Calder. As this year comes to an end, there is a
chance your existence does too.”

Sweat beaded on Calder's brow
. Words did not frighten him, it was the very way in which
the other man spoke. With a chilling lack of feeling. It seemed
impossible that this plan could have gone so awry, when he'd
believed fate and Mother Mearth to finally be on his side. The Dark
Throne ought to be his, but Merrick was a spoil in the works, he'd
never foreseen.

"You would not dare
,”
he spat.

"It is not a matter of daring, Calder
. It is a matter of being annoyed enough to deal
with you. Cease your foolish extravagances and hope that Fade will
be a kinder task master than I am. Your expenditure at the castle
alone is nigh on bankrupting the nation. You were a fool to spend
the year glorying in your position and spending the meager riches
the kingdom possesses. Had you cozied up to the people, had you
encouraged them to your side, then I would have few alternatives.
Instead, you played directly into my hands.

"You're a fool, Calder
. Perhaps it's your mother's blood.”

With that, Merrick disappeared leaving Calder almost
foaming at the mouth
.
Clenching his fists, he pounded them against the down feather bed.
His fists merely sank into the soft cushioning and almost as though
that were the source of his irritation, he reached for the knife
that he kept under his pillow and in a fit of frustration sank the
sharp blade into the down.

Feathers sprouted everywhere and the more he slashed and
sliced, the more the maid shrieked out her fear
.

He did not hear her cries
. He felt only his rage and that overtook all of his
senses.

Merrick dared to threaten him
?

He had the audacity to call his mother
a whore?

Calder screamed, his hollers of fury echoed around the
luxurious chambers
.

But his rage was impotent and that increased
t
heir volume all the
more.

"What a weird smell
.”

Heather's comment elicited a smile from Fade, but he was
too busy staring at a sword that rested, in her humble opinion,
rather sedately on the market stall
. Considering its purpose, it did not nearly seem as
terrifying as it ought to. Apparently, having a sword was a must
for this journey they were about to undertake.

Twenty minutes ago, they'd crossed the threshold and while
she'd been relieved that it hadn't been painful, it had been rather
anti-climactic
. Just like
stepping over a regular door into another room.

She'd expected some gushes of wind, or some vertigo or even
nausea at a minimum
.

And yet,
nada
.
Zilch.

Plus, all the dire warnings of her true elfen genes being
triggered off by the move into this dimension hadn't come to
fruition either
.

The first thing Fade had done, was grab her hand and drag
her up and down the market stalls in search of
something
. She'd soon realized
he'd been after weapons, when they'd come to an almost screeching
halt a few steps away from the odd pod that were the stalls on
Mearth. They'd been here for the last twenty minutes and Heather
was getting bored.

He'd brought her to another world, to her own world and
expected her to just dawdle about and wait for
him
?

She'd reluctantly hovered there, but now, with this weird
smell filling the air, she was dying to wander
about
. It reminded her of meat
back on Earth, but this was filled with almost floral notes. Most
peculiar and delicious.

Her tongue was literally watering as the smell penetrated
her nostrils and permeated her senses
. Even though she wasn't aware of it, Heather began to move
towards the scent. Her mind lost its clarity, lost thoughts of how
unjust it was for Fade to make her stand there, she simply walked.
Head tilted upwards, nose piercing the sky as she followed the
scent.

When an arm grabbed her, she knew it was Fade and that he
was angry
. "Where are you
going?"

"Hmm?" she asked, her voice dazed
.

"I told you to stay at my side
.”

"Can't you smell that
?
It's beautiful. I have to have some.”

Apparently losing patience with her, Fade grabbed her
shoulder and shook her slightly
. It took the edge of the need to eat whatever smelled so
beautifully, but she glared up at him.

"That hurt
.” She
grabbed her shoulder and began to rub it.

"It was supposed to
,”
he retorted and tugging at her free hand, began to move her away
from the smell. She dug her heels into the ground and the soft
mud-like substance that was their soil added to the drag. He spun
around to glare at her. "You were being drugged.”

"I was, what?"

At her astonishment, he grinned
. "The market is filled with food stalls. What is
there to differentiate between one and another? The less scrupulous
stall holders add magick to their food. Those of weaker
sensibilities are immune to them and they purchase the enchanted
food.”

"Weaker sensibilities
?
Listen here, Fade. There's nothing weak about me.”

He stepped closer to her and brushed a finger down her
cheek
. "You are susceptible at
the moment. I had hoped that walking through the portal would
trigger the growth of your ears and your elfen senses. It is to our
advantage that they haven't. It gave me time to purchase adequate
weaponry and time to find shelter. But it would have been useful. I
had not foreseen how this would weaken you. We shall have to be
careful. Magick is everywhere on Mearth. Not all of it positive and
with the best of intentions. The sooner your body rejects the
suppressors your aunt fed you, the better.” He bent down and
pressed a kiss to her brow. "Now, come. We must away. And fear not,
my sweetling, I think not that you are weak. You are far too feisty
for that.”

Even knowing that she'd been handled, Heather willingly
complied
. When the 'handler'
was a master, what else could she do but go with him?

Hell, she'd already followed him to the ends of the
Earth
.

What was a bit of gentling between mates
?

Her feathers less rumpled, because being with Fade was a
natural mood enhancer -something she had swiftly
learned- she concentrated on keeping
up to his pace. Which was damned fast and meant she was practically
speed walking. But she maintained the speed without
complaint.

After they'd awoken that afternoon, they'd
showered
. Separately. And even
that distance between them, with her in the shower and him
downstairs in the kitchen drinking some of the coffee the machine
had automatically brewed, something within her had
ached.

She'd forced herself to enjoy her shower, because who knew
what the facilities were like on Mearth but also out of sheer
self-defense
. The idea of
needing to be within an inch of him at all times, didn't set well
with her.

Her unease had calmed, when she'd left the shower and found
him in the bedroom, obviously waiting for her
. There were lines of strain about his face that
told their own tale and when she walked into the room, he sighed
with relief.